Once Shots
by EmilyTT
Summary: A series of one-shots based off of theories or other things.
1. Emma vs James

Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Once Upon a Time.

I had this idea a short while ago so I wanted to write it down while it was still fresh in my memory. One-Shot based on the promo for 5x19, "Sisters," between James, Robin, and Emma.

Emma, Robin, and 'David' were walking down the road that lead to the legendary line of Storybrooke. Hook, Regina, Cora and Henry were all confronting Zelena to stop her from kissing Hades. The real David was still unconscious in the middle of Main Street.

"How's the baby been?" Emma questioned Robin. She didn't know much about this man, and decided that she'd have to learn more of his backstory at this point. Obviously, she'd meant to before today. But between the Wicked Witch happening, Ingrid arriving and freezing Marian(who, turned out to be Zelena in a glamour spell), resulting in Robin taking her and Roland to New York, dealing with Rumple and the Queens of Darkness, becoming the Dark One herself, and arriving in the Underworld to save Killian, Emma never seemed to find the time to sit down and have a conversation with this man.

"She'd been doing great," he replied, a smile plastered on his face as he thought about her. "I hope that allowing Zelena to see her will help her realize that she doesn't need to kiss Hades to be happy."

"Does she not notice how he's a bad influence on her?" 'David' butted in. "I mean, shouldn't she know that since we've been keeping her from seeing her child because of Hades?"

Emma and Robin stared at 'David' in surprise. They all stopped walking.

"Dad, you know we've been keeping her from the child _only_ because she told us to…"

He laughed nervously. "Right, I forgot."

Everyone laughed after that, and Emma teased him by saying he's turning into an old man. 'Younger than Killian,' he'd snickered back.

That made Emma narrow her eyes in confusion. Since when did David start calling Hook by his real name? Shaking her head and brushing it off, they continued down the road.

A good ten minutes later, far from the town, Emma felt something being placed on her wrist. Before she even pulled her arm up to look, she knew what to expect. However, it still shocked her when she saw the all-too-familiar cuff once again resting on her arm. Glancing up, she saw her father aim a gun at Robins' head.

"One pull of this trigger, well, you're not a visitor here in the Underworld," he said.

Emma put the pieces together. Him acting strange the entire time. Saying he forgot why they are keeping the baby from Zelena. Calling Hook Killian instead of Hook like he always does. She felt so stupid for not realizing it before now. This man wasn't her father. This was his brother.

"James," she breathed out.

"Indeed." He smirked. "I expected much more of a fight from dear old Dave. All it took was one hit and he went down." James pried his eyes off of glaring at Robin to study Emma. "So you're the one. The _savior_. I'd say it's an honor to meet you, but you're my brothers' daughter. That just won't work, now will it? Can't let Dave have everything. Guess I'll have to take… something away from him." All the while James was speaking, Emma's mind was racing. She had to think of some escape plan...

"You don't have to do this. Let Robin go," she pleaded. "Please. He has a baby and another child. Let him go. You can keep me."

Robin looked like he was about to protest but one warning glare from Emma shut his mouth. She could only hope that he understood her plan and went along with it. He nodded his head just barely enough for it to be noticeable but also just enough for Emma to know that he understood. With a deep breath, she took a step forwards, towards James, and a little further away from Robin. James kept his eyes trained on her. He turned the gun slightly towards her and she instantly raised her hands to show she meant no harm. James darted glances between to two living people, knowing that they were trying something. He slyly lowered one hand and reached for the electrode he'd used on David.

All the while Emma slowly walked in a circle around James, Robin was waiting for just the right moment to attack from behind. Both were too focused on watching his facial expressions to try and see if he'd shoot that neither noticed him grab the other weapon with his left hand. So neither were prepared when Robin lunged forwards, only to be met with electricity surging through his left arm. His body thumped to the ground.

Emma leapt forwards while his focus was on Robin. She managed to get one punch in before he kicked her away with all his strength. Emma went skidding across the road and landed in the ditch between the road and the forest. Gripping her gut in pain, she prepared to lift herself back out when James appeared at the top. Emma froze in her spot. They were so focused on each other that they didn't see or hear the outlaw sprinting away to get backup.

POV Change:

"What do we do about her?" Cora asked, staring Cruella down. The black and white haired puppy hater had been caught by the heroes listening in on their plan to stop Hades. "She's one of Hades' dogs. Loyal to her last breath."

"What? Kill her," Regina said as though it were obvious.

"It's a step in the right direction..." Killian added, though he was a tad unsure.

"Are you two crazy? We can't just kill her! You're not murders anymore! Besides, we all know what her unfinished business is," Henry pointed out. "We help her, we help Emma, right? So why not let them work it out, together. That way, Cruella can go to a better place, and Emma's heart can be fully fixed. She's been much too guilty about her death."

"Oh, darling, don't you get it? I don't want to be saved, unless it's going back to the overworld," she snapped at all of them.

"Whatever," Cora said, turning her attention back to her daughter. "You said Emma went with Robin and David to check out the town line?" A nod answered her question. "Well, let's go see how they're doing. We don't have all day, after all." With a snap of her fingers, Cruella fell to the ground, unconscious, and they began walking down the long road that lead to the town line.

The heroes hung their heads awkwardly. "Actually, we do," Killian said, a bit hesitant.

"What?"

Killian scuffled his feet, so Regina answered for him. "Emma refuses to sleep. Honestly, she's just going to make herself pass out from exhaustion, but she won't listen to anyone about going to sleep. We're kinda just waiting for her to knock herself out."

"When's the last time she slept?" Cora was genuinely curious.

"She's slept once since she rescued Killian, and that was four days ago. She passed out then, so we're certain it'll happen again soon."

An uneasy silence settled over the group until they saw a tiny shape in the distance running towards them. They halted and waited. As the shape became bigger and more noticeable, Regina recognized Robin and ran as fast as she could in her heels to meet him.

At the same time, Henry turned around and exclaimed, "Grandpa?"

Both men had to take a few seconds to catch their breaths. "James," they gasped at the same time. David stared at Robin in alarm, now knowing that his brother was alone with his daughter.

"How long?" David demanded.

"Five minutes," Robin Hood gasped.

Without even sharing a glance, everyone began sprinting down the road.

POV Change:

"You foolish girl," James snickered at Emma. She kept her mouth slammed shut and glared at him, her eyes like daggers. "Did you really think, you, a _girl_ , could stop me? My brother must've raised you poorly." He paused when he saw Emma wince, knowing he his a sore spot. "Oh wait, he didn't raise you. He sent you through a magical wardrobe, isn't that right?" he recalled. "He set up quite the example for you to give up your son as well."

That angered Emma, and she hurtled herself out of the ditch, kneeing him in the gut. He smirked despite the sudden attack and tightened his grip on the gun so he wouldn't drop it. She went to knee him again, but James grabbed her leg, lifted her high into the air, and slammed her back-first onto the rocky pavement. Emma gasped in surprise and pain as the all the air was forced out of her lungs. She quickly rolled to her left, having correctly anticipated that James was going to try to slam his boot into her stomach. The thud of a heavy foot confirmed her suspicions. Emma felt her adrenaline kick in as she pounced off the ground, barreling into his side and taking them both down.

James recovered first and landed on top of Emma, flipping her so her stomach was against the ground and her back to the sky. He grabbed a big handful of hair and yanked upwards, drawing out a low howl of pain from the blonde, before putting her in a sleeper hold. She thrashed around desperately beneath him, her attempts becoming more futile by the second. In a last desperate attempt to free herself, she reached backwards, grabbed onto his ear, and pulled with all the strength she could muster.

Thankfully, it was enough and he released her, causing her to lose her grip on him as well. He stood up, cursing, and released the safety hatch on the gun, training it on her left side as her body heaved for breath. Out of her peripheral vision, Emma saw the gun and twisted away, pulling herself to her feet and aimed a punch at his nose. He dodged, and suddenly his left hand shot far up and to the left.

She heard the crack of the butt of the gun on her skull before she felt it, and the blonde fell to the ground. A yelp escaped her lips and she clutched her cheekbone, blood slowly trailing down her face. James grabbed her by her neck and lifted her into the air again so she could stand. He raised his hand again and another howl echoe through the trees as he connected the gun with the back of her head. Emma's vision became blurry from the pain and she managed to glare at the man towering above her cowering form. He lifted the gun and pulled the trigger.

Pain like she'd never felt before tore through her right shoulder and Emma felt a few tears slip down her face. Forcing herself to ignore the pain rattling in her skull, she lifted her left arm and felt around her right shoulder, crying out when she touched the wound. Emma pulled her hand back and saw her blood staining it. Before Emma even had the chance to plead for mercy, another shot rang out and Emma sat bolt upright for heartbeat before crashing back down as a new wave of pain scorched her right leg. Through her blurring vision, Emma stared up at James, who had his arms crossed, admiring his handiwork.

"I didn't want it to have to come to this," James sighed. "But you've left me no choice." He aimed the gun at her head and Emma silently sent an apology to her family and friends for failing. "I'll give you credit, though. You put up much more of a fight than I expected. I can see why the Shepherd loves you."

"You've got one thing right," another voice rang out. Emma became confused as she saw another James appear and knock the gun away, tackling the man. She assumed it must be David, but the darkness that was edging in her vision made everything too fuzzy.

"Emma? Stay with me, you hear? Emma!" A long pause drew out as he waited for her to respond. When he received none, he shouted, "Regina! We need you right now!"

Emma tried so hard to hang onto the light and managed to mutter, "Ki-Killian?" before she succumbed to the welcoming darkness.

Many hours later, Emma awoke in her parents bed in their Underworld apartment. She groaned and went to touch her head. A gentle hand grabbed hers and lowered it back to her sides.

"Emma? Can you open your eyes for us?"

She hadn't even realized that her eyes were still closed and struggled to open them. They shot open, however, when she heard her sons' voice.

"Mom!'

"Henry!" Ignoring her pounding headache, Emma rolled out of bed and engulfed her son in a bone crushing hug before her sleep-deprived body gave out on her. Killian caught her and helped her lay back down again, planting several soft and gentle kisses to her forehead and cheeks.

"Don't you ever scare the hell out of us like that again," he half demanded, half begged her. Emma nodded sleepily in response.

"No more heroics," she agreed, studying Henry's face. Relief and something else was written on his face. Shrugging down the feeling that something happened and deciding to ask later, Emma fell back asleep, surrounded by the whispers of those she love. And those who love her.


	2. Last Rites

**AN: Holy crap. I am not okay after last night's episode. Jen and Colin nailed that final scene they had together, holy crap. So, for next week, I think they're at Killian's funeral, hence why Emma is crying. Then she fights Zelena, and loses? It looks like Zelena plunges her hand through Emma's chest and takes her heart out. So maybe she's going to die? After all, she is really the heart of Storybrooke, and it'd give them two more episodes to finish off the Underworld arc. Anyways, please leave a review giving me feedback! Hope you enjoy!**

 **Summary: The heroes confront Hades to stop him from destroying Storybrooke. (Ignoring the fight between Zelena and Emma in the promo). Slow burn angst, happy ending at the end.**

"I can't let you do this," Emma snarled at Hades and Zelena. Her eyes were bloodshot from crying so much, and her cheeks still stung as more tears threatened to fall. They'd buried Killian earlier that day, and no one believed Emma was in any way prepared to fight Hades. However the resilient blonde insisted that this was something she needed to do. She needed to make sure that she didn't leave Killian in vain. She couldn't just let the villains send them all right back to the Underworld.

"And you don't have much say in it for that matter, _savior_ ," Hades taunted back.

"What the hell is that supposed to-" Emma was cut off as Hades waved his hand and she was flung back against the wall in Regina's office. Another wave of his hand and her arms were bound by invisible ropes. A small, double sided electric bolt appeared in his hand. "What the hell is that?"

Zelena's eyes were wide with awe and a wicked smile crossed her face. "Emma, meet Hades' brother. Well, what's left of him, anyways. You see, my pretty, Hades and I have finally made him pay for what he did to Hades."

All color drained from her face. If they stopped Zeus, who could stop them? Zeus was a God, and they destroyed him, for heaven's sake! Hades strutted forwards, pulling it back above his shoulder. Emma tried to flinch away but the invisible bounds held her still.

"So you're going to kill me with that wavy stick?" Hades laughed ridiculously.

"This isn't going to kill you." The words he spoke next made Emma's face pale even more, if at all possible. "It's going to _end_ you. I believe you've heard about the River of Lethe?"

"T-that's the river of forgetting, right?"

He nodded at her. "Indeed. It's done quite wonders for me in the past. You see, it makes a person forget exactly how much the owner decides." He looked at Zelena, who had the biggest smirk on her face at Emma's helplessness. "Isn't that right, my love?" She nodded like a child that would do anything to get dessert. "I went to that old imp who calls himself 'the darkest sorcerer of all' and made him open me a portal back down there. All it took was one simple dip of this," he gestured to the stick as he spoke. "And the river is ready to do its work." A knowing look crossed his face as he stared Emma up and down. "Aren't you wondering why your backup hasn't arrived yet?"

A lump formed in Emma's throat and she struggled even more, desperate to escape, fearing the worst. She almost sagged in relief when he spoke next.

"Relax, they aren't dead. I simply want to talk to you, Emma, before you go." Had she not been so angry and terrified, she would've sworn she saw him flash her a sympathetic smile. "The imp and I made a deal that I wouldn't harm his lover if he stopped your family from getting inside."

Almost as if on cue, King Arthur entered the room. Hades sighed at him, exasperated. "My lord, the heroes made the Dark One retreat. My men can only hold them off for so long before they get in here."

"Then tell them to retreat back here and outnumber them. I want them to watch as the Heart of Storybrooke forgets who they are-and better yet, who she is."

Arthur bowed at him. With a quick, "yes, my lord," he turned and sprinted back out and down the hall.

"Such a petulant fool," Hades said, rolling his eyes.

With renewed hope, Emma focused all her strength and energy into breaking the spell that bound her. A grunt of surprise came from her mouth as she suddenly sprung forwards. Zelena was quick to react, throwing the blonde backwards. The breath was forced out of Emma's lungs at the impact of the floor pounding against her stomach. Hades' amused laughter was cut off by the door swing open and about ten soldiers poured into the room, their swords drawn. Arthur stood in the middle, his eyes ablaze with determination.

Emma watched from her pained position on the floor, in slow motion, as David, Robin and Regina entered the room. She could only hope that the lack of her other family meant they were either outside or didn't come. Times sped up again when Robin shot one of the soldiers in the chest with an arrow. Pulling herself to her feet, Emma faced off against Zelena and Hades. Relief washed over her when Regina appeared at her side.

"I'll take care of Zelena," she said, not breaking eye contact with her sister. "She's blinded by love. I won't hurt her." With that, the siblings disappeared off to who knows where. A sigh of comfort came from Emma when she realized the battle was suddenly much more even.

"Are you ready to get a taste of your own medicine, Hades?" she questioned, confidence growing from deep within her. She meant it as sarcasm, but the God was not amused in the slightest. Quite the opposite, in fact. His hair turned into a blue fire, his eyes ablaze with anger. He charged at her and swung the bolt.

David and Robin were busy dealing with watching each other's backs from the King's men. They tried attacking when they saw an open flank, only for their swords to be lurched away as the other man came out of nowhere and parried them away. Four soldiers lay dead on the ground, countless others in the hallways of the Town Hall, but these remaining men were heavily armored and clearly had much training in sword fighting. Robin had had to abandon his bow almost as soon as they entered.

Charming got an idea long after noticing that the men only attacked after receiving a signal from Arthur. Pushing through the ranks and ignoring Robin's screams asking what the hell he was doing, he caught Camelot's king by surprise. He grabbed Arthur by the throat and faced the soldiers. They froze when they saw the sword resting against their King's throat.

"Get out," he snarled at them. A flicker or authority flickered in his chest as he remembered his days of leading his men to battle. He snapped himself out of his thoughts and pushed the King outside the door, clashing the back of his neck with the hilt of his sword. He smirked. "That's for playing me twice, Arthur." Relieved, the men turned to see Hades and Emma finishing their bout with each other. White, hot magic was flying from Emma's hands and blue, flaming magic from the Gods'.

"You. Are. Not. Winning. This. Battle!" Emma gasped at the effort of speaking. She nearly cried out of relief when the lightning bolt flew from his hands. "Dad! Grab it!" He complied and the God roared bloody murder at him. Using even more energy, hoping to catch him off guard, The newest outburst of magic sent a stream flying into the ceiling, which began to shake dangerously. Cracks started appearing in the walls. "I need that bolt, Dad!" He threw it to her. "Now get out of here." He didn't budge. " _GO!_ " Thankfully he listened that time, and Emma faced the God. He lay on the ground in shock, staring at his hands as though they betrayed him. She wielded the wand, watching in fascination as it shimmered a pale blue. Hades screamed in agony as his body began to disintegrate. Another violent shake of the building later and he was gone. The building started caving in, leaving Emma only one choice. To jump out the window.

After zipping up her jacket and doing just that, Emma landed roughly against the ground. Not bothering to make sure that her jacket was torn, Emma sprinted away from the building as in completely collapsed. Snow's voice sounded to her left, and she turned, running over and hugging her mother as if she would never see her again. Her father joined a second later and Emma was crushed between the two. After a long embrace, they pulled apart.

"I need a minute," she muttered, half to herself. They slowly backed away and Emma turned away from them. A wave of drowsiness dragged at her and she slightly stumbled. Pain stabbed at her gut a heartbeat later and she fumbled for the zipper of her jacket. Pulling it down, she saw her white shirt a crimson red. She'd already lost a lot of blood. The rush of her adrenaline had prevented her from feeling the pain of Hades plunging the bolt into her side.

"Emma?" the sound of her parent's voices made her jump. She slowly turned to look at them, seeing concern laced on their faces. She glanced down at her stomach and their eyes followed her gaze. Her knees gave out just as her father caught her shoulders with his arms. "No, no, no, no, NO. SOMEONE CALL THE AMBULANCE!" Tears filled David's eyes as he ripped off his jacket and began applying pressure to her side with it. She winced in pain and, mustering all the strength she had, gently pushed him away.

"Dad, it's no use." Emma's voice shook as she spoke. "Even if you could stop the bleeding, it's poisoned. I'll forget everything, even what my own name is. I won't remember you. Don't let this happen to you. I don't want to put you through that agony."

Tears fell onto Emma's cheeks. "What do you mean? There has to be some way we can save you," he pleaded.

"There isn't. The bolt was poisoned with water from the River of Lethe. There is no escaping this." A whimper escaped her lips as a sudden wave of pain crashed into her. She stared desperately at her mom. "Raise Neal to be the best man he can be. Let Regina raise Henry. He deserves at least one parent to grow up with."

"Emma, stop saying goodbye. This isn't a goodbye," David firmly told her. She chuckled despite herself, regretting it a moment later when another wave of pain struck.

"This isn't a goodbye," she agreed. "This is me saying 'until next time.' I love you all, you know that?"

Her parents befan sobbing at this point. "We know," they assured her. Snow gently stroked Emma's cheek, wiping away the tears that had begun to stream down her own face. She began to gasp for breath, wanting to cling onto her father's strong arms and her mother's love for as long as possible.

Her eyes fluttered shut, only to spring open the next second.

"Emma!" Had she really died that quickly? Was this what death felt like? She could still feel the agonizing pain in her side and the presence of her parents. _This really is Hell_ , she thought to herself.

"SWAN!" This time, her vision fully focused and she made out her parents staring in front of them, mouths agape, and two people running at them at full speed. As the pair neared closer, she made out the forms of Killian and Regina.

"Regina, stop the bleeding," Killian demanded as soon as he saw the jagged wound in his lover's side. She didn't hesitate, and a warm, welcoming feeling washed over Emma's body. He kissed her the following second and a burst of magic sprouted from their bodies. True Loves' Kiss.

"What-How," Emma couldn't even finish her sentence, she was so surprised.

"Your test was choosing me over your own heart, love," he replied. "Mine was letting you go so you could return to your family. I went back to the tavern and saw the tree. It'd been enchanted so only the true love that made a sacrifice on both ends could see it. Turns out you just needed to eat the fruit to be able to cross back over."

"But you promised me-"

"I did promise you to move on. But that didn't mean I had to just yet. Besides, now we can live that future we've wanted for months.

And so, the lovers hugged each other like they'd never hugged before, and they all went home, hand-in-hand, ready to face whatever danger threatened their happiness next.


	3. Stolen Hearts

**AN: Based off of the promo for 5x21 Last Rites. Emma vs. Zelena and the aftermath. With the rumors that Robin is the one to die and what I read about Regina going evil and blaming Emma(again), here is my take on it.**

 **I do take requests! They can be rewrites of scenes or a scene you hope to happen. Doesn't have to be canon ships, meaning I will write MadSwan, SwanQueen, ect. Even just friendship ships, if that is your request!**

 **Be sure to leave a review giving a compliment on what you liked or criticism on what you didn't. I'd love to improve as a writer. What better way than to receive constructive criticism? XP**

 **Also, can we just talk about how phenomenal Colin and Jen were for, well, that whole episode, but especially that goodbye scene? Plus the music in the background! Absolutely beautiful melody. I think being a band geek helps you to learn to appreciate music. Before I was a band geek I couldn't care less about the music, but now that I am, I appreciate it so much more. But that particular song makes me want to cry just based on the music. Absolutely beautiful. Love Mark Isham!**

Emma stood outside of the town hall, glaring daggers straight at the witch standing in front of her. Killian's funeral had been earlier that day, but work needed to be done before Emma could allow herself to truly grieve over him. Now that Emma looked back on it, there never seemed to be a break in Storybrooke, so she doubted she'd be able to grieve at all.

Zelena glared just as much back at Emma. The blonde was such a fool. Hades showed her what Emma had tried to do to him. When he came running towards her with his face covered in blood, managing the gasp, "Emma," before he'd collapsed, she knew the blonde needed to pay. Hades would never lie to her. Emma was planning on killing her next. It was so obvious that the woman was neither mentally or physically stable. Just staring at her told her that much. Emma's shoulders were slouched so far that any weight applied on them would take her down. Her eyes were rimmed red from so much crying, and her eyes were also glassy from unshed tears threatening to slip down her cheeks. Her hands were shaking and her breath was ragged. This would be too easy.

"Are you here to accept your fate, _Savior_?" she questioned, specifically saying Savior because she knew it made the blonde angry a little. She knew that deep down the blonde didn't feel like a Savior, no matter what she said. That had too much in common from their childhoods that she had general ideas of what the blonde was thinking, and found that often times, she was right. When the blondes' gaze flickered with anger for a second, Zelena smirked.

She pushed harder. "Or should I even call you that? I mean, you couldn't save your one-handed boyfriend. What kind of Savior can't even save her own happy ending?"

Emma bristled at that, her inner darkness telling her to let her anger and grief out on the Wicked Witch. "Don't go there," she warned, her voice cracking from her dry throat. She swallowed to try to make her voice more stern. "Don't go there," she repeated, this time her voice a menacingly low tone.

"Don't go where, Dear?" Zelena countered back. Emma opened her mouth to speak but she cut her off. "Telling the truth that you don't seem to realize yourself? You're not meant to get a happy ending, Emma. I stole Neal from you, before that he left you, Captain Hook is gone, and your own mother doesn't believe in or trust you."

Emma's eyes widened when Zelena mentioned Snow. "Oh, yes. Hades told me all about how she accused you of turning Emily Brown into water. What kind of mother does that? One who cares more about the child she can actually raise?" Emma's head fell at that point to prevent Zelena from seeing the tears that were streaking down her face. The shaking shoulders that came from covered sobs told her all she needed to know. It wouldn't take much more to get Emma to the point of a mental breakdown, which is exactly what she needed.

"The only ones who've always believed in you have abandoned you. Your son didn't comfort you at the funeral. He left you to go with Regina because he didn't want to see you broken. He only wants the happy, carefree mother. Not some poor excuse of a mother. Your dead boyfriend abandoned you at the bottom of that elevator. Didn't you say he promised to move on? That sounds like a form of abandonment to me."

"ENOUGH," Emma finally roared, lifting her head and rushing at Zelena. She grinned from ear to ear, raising her hands when Emma was two feet away from her and sent her flying backwards. An "oomph" escaped the blonde's lips when she landed hard on her stomach, winded. Like the vulture she was, Zelena strutted over towards Emma, kneeling down in front of her as she pushed herself onto her knees. It was at that moment in time that Zelena thrust her hand forwards and into Emma's chest, causing her gasp in surprise at the sudden attack. When she felt the beating organ in her hands. Emma gaped when Zelena pulled her hand back out of the blonde's chest, her heart in Zelena's hands.

Zelena gave it an experimental squeeze, relishing hearing the blonde whimper at the sudden pain. The look Emma shot at her was one of both combined fear in relief.

"Go ahead," Emma challenged. "Crush it. But remember one thing. I'm either away from Killian or my family. I'll have some form of happiness either way. So ask yourself one question. Which curse is worse?"

Zelena curled her nose in anger and disgust. She already knew the answer, because the Savior was right. Being away from Hook, she decided, was a worse curse for Emma. But a loophole was already forming in her head. "I might not kill you," she said slowly, deciding on how she wanted to reveal her terrible plan to Emma. "But that doesn't mean I can't cause damage to you." She grew more confident as she spoke, standing up and brushing dirt off of her clothes.

Emma's eyes grew wide when she realized what Zelena meant. Zelena lifted Emma's heart to her mouth and whispered into it, ordering a command. Emma abruptly stood up and turned around, walking off to her parent's loft. She struggled the whole way, desperately trying to stop herself from carrying out the order commanded to her. However, her body betrayed her and continued moving. A few short minutes later, she knocked on the door. She hoped, deep down, that when her parents opened the door, they'd instantly know something was wrong. She never knocked on the door, just simply walked right in. Luck, unfortunately, was not on her side.

The moment they opened the door, her parent's eyes softened and they stepped back to let her in. Emma casually eyed around the loft, looking for any signs of Regina. A moment later, she turned around to a hug from her mother.

"Oh Emma, I'm so sorry," her mother whispered to her, as soft and gentle as possible. Tears instantly sprang in her eyes and she struggled to hold back her tears as she clung onto Snow as if she would fall apart if Snow ended it.

"I made a lot of mistakes, Mom," she muttered, her voice shaking. "I never should have gone down there." The tears weren't because she was saying that herself, but because Zelena was speaking for her. She had no control over what was happening right now. Only the hug was her doing.

David joined his family a moment later, cupping his hand over the back of her head just like he always does. "Emma, words cannot describe how sorry your mother and I are. You and Hook more than deserve your happy ending together. Everyone knows that. Maybe… maybe once we defeat Hades, we can get him back. There has to be a way."

Emma pulled away slowly, though she held each of their hands with one of her own. A sad smile crossed her face and she glanced at the ground for a moment, relieved that Zelena was allowing her to talk for herself, even though she'd been ordered not to say anything regarding her. "There isn't. I couldn't just leave him down there. He promised that he wouldn't let me be his unfinished business. That he'd move on and wait for me there when the time is right. He's not coming back."

She faintly heard Zelena's voice in the back of her head. Almost like the whispers she'd heard during her time as the Dark One. 'Enough chit-chatting. You know what you need to do. So do it. Now.'

"Where's Regina?" she questioned quickly. Her parents gave her a look. "I, uh… I just need to ask her a few questions." More looks. "It can't wait. I need to know by tonight."

"She's in her office with Robin," David replied, throwing her an apologetic glance. "Snow and I were too busy taking care of Neal for me to go work, so I called and she said she and Robin would take care of it."

Emma slightly felt hurt because of this. He could've called her. She would've gone and then no one would be in this predicament. But no, he didn't, leaving Emma to confront Zelena outside of the Town Hall. She'd been able to tell that the witch was blaming her from something based on the expression on her face, though she couldn't figure out what. She'd spent almost the entire day at the graveyard, holding Killian's flask in her hand as she wept over the freshly dug-up earth. She'd talked to his grave, silently praying that he could hear her from his paradise.

" _Killian, I know it's only been a day since I left you in the Underworld, but it feels like it's been years already. I went to the Jolly Roger right before the funeral. I hope you don't mind. I grabbed your favorite possessions from it and transferred them to ou -my- house. It killed me inside doing so. It felt like my heart was split again. I thought I knew what it was like to be alone when Neal left me in prison, but this has taken me to a whole new level. It feels like my support, I guess like someone leaning against a wall when they're gravely wounded, disappeared, leaving me to struggle to stay standing upright. I know I made a promise to you to keep my armour down, but it's getting harder with each passing second._

" _I'm not sure how long I'll be able to keep that promise for. All of my instincts are screaming at me to convert back into that troubled child, teenager, and adult that I was before Henry saved me. Anyways, I just… I just wanted to give you your flask back. Here, I'll lay it up against your tombstone. I really hope that you're happy with Liam right now, assuming that's where you've moved on to."_

"Thanks," she muttered, unable to meet their curious gazes. "I'll talk to you two later, I guess." Without even giving them a chance to say goodbye, Emma left the room. She turned around and walked outside the loft. Unbeknownst to her, they both followed started following her thirty seconds after she left.

Emma once again fought herself, desperately trying to stop her body from doing what she was commanded to. She didn't know if she'd ever be able to forgive herself for being so weak as to let Zelena's words tap into her pent up grief and anger. She should've known better than to go alone. Upon arriving at the office, Emma walked inside and to Regina's office. She heard the laughing voices of Robin and Regina. They sounded so happy with each other. Something Emma would never feel again with a man. She would never move on from Killian. She will always remain loyal to him.

"Now shut up, I need to finish writing this thing down. You know there's so much unfinished paperwork that needs finished. Emma procrastinates as much as possible," Regina's voice stuck out to Emma. She had to admit that Regina was right. Constantly waiting until the day the paperwork was due, Emma always realized that she needed to do the paperwork more often to actually turn it in on time. She'd say she'd have it all done next time, but was never able to keep the promise. It was only David and Red's helping hands that'd helped her stay on track. But now that she actually heard those words, she wished she were back in that time, when she still had Killian by her side. She missed all the quiet dinners they'd had, all the all-nighters talking about their pasts before the Queens of Darkness arrived again.

Stepping into the room and making her presence known, Emma watched as Robin and Regina awkwardly stepped away from each other. Their hands had been tangled in each other's hair as they'd been passionately kissing. Robin dipped his head, quickly stating, "I'll leave you two alone to talk," though Emma was quick to raise her hand, signalling for him to stay. Snow White and David Nolan listened from outside the door as to what was going on.

"I need to talk to the both of you." Zelena was once again speaking for Emma, leaving the blonde pounding at the walls in which she was being held inside her body, attempting to break down the walls with closed fists screaming at the top of her lungs for them to run. That it wasn't safe for them to be around her. But, of course, the heroes sensed nothing off with her. If they did, they just assumed that it was her still grieving over Killian.

So when Emma's legs moved her over to where Robin stood, which was a few feet away from Regina, neither thought anything of it. What neither of them thought would happen, happened. Emma's hand shot into Robin's chest, grasping his heart and pulling back out with the organ in her palm.

"EMMA," Regina screamed as Robin crumpled to the ground from. The Mayor raised her arm to blast magic at Emma, but froze when Robin's cries of pain sounded out. Emma back away from the outlaw, and the door, allowing Regina to run to her love. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Emma?"

"If I don't get my happy ending, neither does anyone else," she snarled in response. It was at that moment that her parents decided to make their grand appearance, gasping when they saw Regina helping Robin to his feet, then their eyes widening in horror when they saw their daughter eyeing the heart in her palm as though it was her most possession in the whole world. No one seemed to know what to say to her. It was so unexpected that they were still trying to understand what was happening right now. And then, Emma heard the words she'd been dreading hearing ever since Zelena first took her heart.

'Crush it,' she heard, and she instantly squeezed the heart until not even dust remained. Regina's cry of anguish echoed through the room as Robin's body once more fell to this ground, this time never to rise again.

"Emma! What have you done?" Snow gasped, unable to believe what she just witnessed.

The look Emma flashed at them was one of no emotion. "I did what was necessary. Now, which of you wants to be next?" On the inside, Emma was crying, knowing the damage she'd involuntarily caused to Regina. Neither of them would ever forgive her. Not even after Regina figured out that Emma didn't have her heart. David's jaw dropped open and he instinctively put Snow behind him. Emma didn't even have a chance to blink before Regina used magic to teleport in front of her. Less than a heartbeat after that, a stabbing pain set Emma's blood on fire. A muffled scream escaped her mouth and Emma landed her gaze on Regina's.

"Regina!" David and Snow screamed out at the same time.

Regina's cheeks were stained with tears, though an angry and pained expression remained on her face. Her grip tightened around the handle of the knife, the blade itself embedded deep in Emma's left side. She pulled it out, relishing the look of agony on Emma's face. Little did she know, the agony wasn't because of pain, but of knowing that she'd just killed Regina's soul mate. That didn't, however, prevent her from clutching at her side and slightly stumbling and landing on her knees.

'Defend yourself,' Zelena commanded once more. Using one hand, Emma shot magic at Regina and her parents, pushing them to the other side of the room. When she glanced at the ground, Emma noticed that Robin's body was gone. Regina had poofed his body away before she'd attacked her. Regina was the first to recover, using her own magic to send a stream of purple hurtling at the blonde that had pushed herself to her feet, keeping her left hand clutching the jagged wound.

She retaliated with her own white magic and the forces combined together in the middle of the room. Sparks flew around them, both women fighting to overpower the other. Between the blood leaking from between her fingers and Emma's exhaustion finally catching up to her(she'd been running on fumes for the past four days), Emma knew that Regina would win this battle unless she stopped fighting. Regina, on the other hand, was completely healthy and had plenty of energy to spare. She knew the blonde was weak and that it wouldn't be long until she passed out from the exhaustion, so she felt no need to use more energy than necessary.

At some point, Emma started walking forwards, and Regina met her challenge.

Zelena was watching, with Hades, through her mirror as the battle commenced. Hades still had a thin line of split skin running from his forehead to the bottom of his jaw. He subconsciously rubbed at it, silently relishing that Zelena had believed him so easily. He needed her to see that he knew what was best for her and not those so called 'heroes'. He loved how easily she'd taken care of the Savior. She told him all about how she provoked Emma into attacking her.

He knew from the moment Cruella came to the Underworld that Emma Swan was a force to be reckoned with. So when Cruella told him about Emma and her "love sick puppy dog" he couldn't resist. He needed to learn more about her. Unfortunately the pirate hadn't been willing to cooperate and he needed to take extra measures. But now he knew everything he needed to know about her.

Of course he wounded himself. He needed Zelena to have his back. What he never expected was her to return to him with Emma's heart. As good as Emma is, Zelena is wicked. And like she says, wicked always wins. So both were playing a wicked game. One with only one ending. An ending that not even the hungriest person in the Underworld could stomach.

"Tell her to finish it," he quietly whispered into her ear as her braided her hair. And that she did.

Emma and Regina were but five feet away from each other at this point, Emma nearly her demise. But she was ready to go. The blood was flowing out of her side at a steady rate, the pain only growing worse as she used more and more energy that she lacked. It was only a matter of how much longer the Wicked Witch intended on forcing her onwards. Emma was not surprised when she heard, 'finish it,' sound in the back of her head.

 _That's exactly what I'll do,_ she thought to herself. She thrust her hand forwards, exhibiting more strength than Regina expected, and the shock wave sent everyone flying backwards. But not before The two streams of magic shot upwards and into the ceiling, which instantly began cracking due to the force. While Regina and the Charmings simply landed on the ground, Emma was not so lucky. Her back and head slammed against the corner of a bookshelf, a grunt falling from her lips, and she landed, sprawled out across the floor. Looking up, Emma saw the ceiling cracking as the split spread everywhere. The ground rumbled harshly, and the bookshelf creaked behind her as it tilted. With her last conscious thought, Emma sent out her magic to create a shield around her loved ones so they wouldn't be crushed.

The bookshelf toppled on top of Emma, the top of it crushing her legs and lower torso. Luckily for Emma, she was no longer conscious when the ceiling itself completely collapsed. Regina and the others had seen Emma hit the bookshelf, but their view was then blocked by the desk as they themselves landed on the ground. The shield broke around the time Emma passed out, and so the heroes were still impacted by the rubble and were all knocked out.

Zelena and Hades left the apartment after Emma passed out, assuming she'd die of her wounds, and went out for a relaxing diner.

Several minutes later, David groaned and rubbed his head, feeling for any bumps on his head. Regina and Snow came to as well seconds later, and Regina made sure that the other two were okay before vanishing, saying something about Robin and a heart split. Right after she disappeared, they remembered their daughter and looked around for her. When she wasn't seen above the rubble, they ran over to it and started pulling up pieces of the ceiling. They were about to give up and decide she must've escaped when they saw a flash of her red jacket. The couple frantically pulling chunk after chunk away, gradually uncovering Emma's right arm followed by her head.

There was a giant gash on her face from where a rather large bit of the ceiling had it her. They quickly uncovered the rest of her back until they reached the bookshelf, which was too huge to be moved. David quickly ran off to call the Dwarves to help. Meanwhile, Snow gently grasped Emma's head and placed it in her lap, carefully cleaning the bloodied wound on her forehead. Thankfully, it'd stopped bleeding.

The commotion awoke Emma, and though she kept her eyes shut, cried out in pain as everything rushed back to her. A sob shook Snow's shoulders at seeing her daughter so weak and fragile.

"Oh, Emma," she whispered. A long pause followed. "Where does it hurt most?" she questioned after a while.

"My head is pounding really hard," she replied. "And my side. Mom, why can't I feel my legs?" Another whimper. "She has it, Mom."

"Who has it?"

"Zelena," came a barely audible reply.

"What does Zelena have?"

"My heart. She made me kill Robin."

Snow's blood ran cold. Emma fell back into unconsciousness and Snow whipped around to look for David. She informed him of what Emma just said, and the Dwarves arrived a couple minutes later, instantly setting to work on the heavy bookshelf. A long effort took place and they freed Emma from the rubble. The ambulance appeared shortly after and they took her away. A call was sent to Regina, explaining what Emma had told her, and the Mayor promised to get it back, explaining that her heart split with Robin had worked.

Sure enough, they all met at the hospital and the heart was in Regina's hands. Doctor Whale came out of the emergency room an hour later, explaining that Emma had serious head trauma and they'd managed to close her wound before she lost too much blood. As for her legs, once the swelling went down in her torso, she'd be about to walk again. Despite everything that happened, Regina, David, and Snow still had hope.

Emma would survive.


	4. All Magic Comes With a Price

**AN: I, as a Captain Swan shipper, would like to apologize to all the Outlaw Queen shippers out there for the bs that was Sunday night's episode. I found it extremely unfair that Killian got to come back and Robin died. I am so sorry that y'all were screwed over like that. As much as I like Captain Swan, I believe it should've been fair if Killian actually moved on rather than returned.**

 **So, for this story, it is an au based off the promo for next week's episode in which both Killian and Robin are gone. Also, no baby Neal.**

 **Summary: Takes place from the moment Henry destroys magic. True Love is the most powerful magic of all, and Emma is the product of TL. That makes her magic. All magic comes with a price, and Henry learns that this is no exception. Emma/Regina enemy/friendship**

A wave of magic burst from the Olympian "Crystal that Henry held in his hands. Emma staggered backwards at the impact, surprise coursing through her. Regina and Rumple stared at Henry in shock. Emma was the first to break the silence.

"Henry, what did you do?" Those words held so much more meaning than anyone, besides Rumpelstiltskin, knew. He knew that Henry was about to pay for his mistake. Emma stared at her son in surprise. He had a look of quiet relief on his face as he replied to her.

"I destroyed magic. Now mom can't go dark again." Regina stepped forwards.

"Henry, I wasn't going to turn into the Evil Queen again. I was just grieving over Robin's death." She cast a small glare of hatred at Emma as she spoke. The two had become enemies again since Regina blamed Emma for his death. "It wasn't his time. If we'd never gone to the Underworld, none of this would've happened." Those words were aimed directly at Emma, who visibly winced, once again being reminded that she wouldn't see her own true love in long time. "You understand that, right Henry?"

Violet glanced awkwardly between Henry, Regina, and Emma. She didn't know what exactly they were talking about, but it had to have been about the journey they made to the Underworld. It'd been hard knowing that her King was being kept in a jail cell. But when he died… that sent everyone over the edge. The rest of Camelot had gone home with Lancelot and Guinevere being the King and Queen, but Violet chose to stay behind. She wanted to know about Henry. He was intriguing, handsome, and very smart.

So when he'd asked her if she wanted to go on a journey, of course she agreed to it. She wanted to get to know him better.

Emma spoke up. "Regina, you know that I didn't even intend-"

"No, Miss Swan! You don't get to speak. You don't get to do anything. Come on, Henry. We're going home." Regina walked forwards and grabbed Henry by the arm, prepared to take him out of the room.

Emma felt a sharp pain hit her stomach and gut and she stumbled backwards against the wall to lean against it. She'd never felt anything like that before. It had felt like someone grabbed her heart and was squeezing it, except a little worse than that. When she looked up, everyone was staring at her.

"Mom, are you okay?"

She narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Yeah… just became a little dizzy. But it's better now," she said quickly. "You heard your mom, let's go." She waited until only she and Rumple were left to signal that she wanted to talk to him. "I saw that smirk on your face, Gold. What the hell just happened to me?" she demanded.

He laughed in response. "That, Miss Swan, was what it feels like to begin dying." He raised a hand to keep her from talking. "As you know, True Love is the most powerful magic of all. And you are the product of it. Which makes you magic itself. I think you can figure out the rest, dearie. Since Henry just destroyed magic-"

"He's just destroyed me," Emma breathed out. "How long do I have?"

Rumple snorted. "Even if I did know, I wouldn't tell you. But I'll give you this one piece of advice." He paused to lean forwards so that they were almost nose-to-nose. "Use this time to say goodbye. Because you won't survive long."

He walked out, leaving Emma to recollect her thoughts. A painful sting appeared in her chest and she clenched her fists over the spot where her heart lay. Emma could feel her life slipping through closed hands. The feeling went away, leaving Emma standing in the middle of the room with a heaving chest. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't be. She's the savior, right? She can't just die. But if Rumple was right and Emma is magic itself… then there's no saving her. Not without a major sacrifice. If destroying magic meant her death, than bringing it back had to be an even worse price. One that Emma can't allow anyone to pay.

So she exited the room and entered the bug outside, though not before asking Regina if she could drive. Emma didn't want to risk having another attack while she were driving. That could be fatal to everyone. Regina accepted, though not without hesitating first. Her instincts were telling her to ask the blonde what was wrong, but she was still mad at her for unintentionally causing Robin's death.

Henry and Violet both passed out on the drive back since it was nighttime when they already left, which gave Regina plenty of time to study the Savior. She noticed how Emma would fall asleep only to awake minutes later, chest heaving and her face contorted in pain. Every single time this happened, it seemed to take longer than the last for her to settle back down. Finally, when it took her a full five minutes to relax again, Regina spoke up.

"Miss Swan, what is wrong?" She raised an eyebrow as Emma looked at her, startled, as though just realizing Regina had been watching her. She adverted her gaze to the ground.

"Nothing."

She couldn't help but scowl before looking at the road again. "Emma, just as you can tell when I'm lying, I can tell when you are. So I will ask you again. What. Is. Wrong."

Emma's jaw dropped open, only to close a second later. _Stubborn woman_ , she thought to herself. "I don't know how you expect to be a Savior when you won't even let anyone save you," she pointed out. "It's okay to show weakness."

"No, it isn't," Emma finally snapped back. "All my life everyone in my life abandoned me in some way or another. Every time I show weakness and allow myself to be vulnerable, I lose that reason. Why do you think I lasted as long as I did before I broke the first curse? Walking around and being open to anything but expecting the worst? No. That's not how this world works, Regina." She started laughing hysterically. "You know? I made a promise to Killian that I wouldn't put my armour… my walls… back up. And I've tried. _So_ hard. But I just can't. What kind of Savior can't even saving herself from the inevitable?"

Regina's eyes raised in both confusion and concern. "The inevitable? Emma, what the hell are you talking about?" Emma didn't even have a chance to respond. They'd just crossed the line back into Storybrooke. The moment they crossed, Emma gasped, hands flying to her heart, and her eyes rolled in the back of her skull. She slammed the brakes, and Emma quickly unbuckled herself and opened the door. Rather than stepping outside, the blonde rolled out and landed on the harsh pavement beneath her. Henry and Violet woke up to hearing Regina flinging her own door open and rushing over to the other side of the car.

"Emma? EMMA! No, no, no, no, Emma what's wrong?" A tear streaked down her face when Emma didn't respond. Instead of a response, Emma pulled herself tightly into a fetal position, as though trying to protect herself. A strangled screech rumbled and she slammed her green eyes closed, desperately trying to block out the pain. Henry pushed himself out the car and ran to her side, grabbing Emma's arm and clutching it like he'd never held her hand before.

"Make it stop," she managed to beg between gasps for breath. Rumple walked out from behind the trees at that very second.

"I see you haven't told them yet," he commented, watching her struggle to look him in the eyes.

"Tell us _what_?" Regina demanded without looking away from the blonde. He chuckled.

"Wow. Well, this is a sight for sore eyes. You see, true love is the most powerful magic of all, and Emma is the product of it, making her magic itself. Get the gist?" He paused, smirking when Henry's face turned into that or pure horror.

"MOM, you can't leave me," he all but begged. Tears were streaming down his face as he watched her contort into pain as another wave of agony punched her.

Emma looked at Regina. "Get my parents. _Please_. I want to say goodbye before I die. I know you don't like me right now, but I'm begging you." Regina leaned down and grabbed her phone. Emma quieted down by clutching her sternum even harder and leaning into Henry and Violet.

David picked up on the third ring.

" _Regina, what the hell is going on?"_

She took a deep breath. "Henry destroyed magic. You need-"

" _Well tell him to undo it! The town is tearing apart over here!"_

"He can't. There is no way. You and Snow need to come to-"

" _What do you mean he can't fix it? He's the author-"_

Now it was Regina's turn to interrupt him. "David you need to listen to me right now. Emma is suffering. Gold said something to do with her because magic itself since she's the product of true love. She's dying. Come to the town line. She wants to say her goodbyes." Regina's voice shook as she spoke and she unconsciously place one of her hands on Emma's knee and gripped it in a vice grip.

" _There has to be some way to stop it!"_

Emma's voice rasped out. "Regina." She gave the phone to her. "Dad? Please. I want to be able to say goodbye in person…"

Regina stood up and walked over to where Rumple stood, a smug smile on his face. It fell the second she slapped him, and he stumbled backwards from the impact. "Tell me how the hell we fix this!" she commanded, in no mood for jokes. "There's always a way. You know a loophole."

"Why yes I do," he replied as he clutched his jaw. "But it's not my call to make. You see, it'll take one hefty cost to bring magic back, one I'm not going to pay. Nor will you. It's Henry's, but ultimately it's Emma's call on whether or not to go through with it." Regina's mouth opened to ask what he meant, but he signaled he wasn't done talking yet. "And based on the conversation she's currently having with her father," he added, "she's not going to do it."

Turning around to see what he was talking about, she caught sight of the blonde flinging her arms into the air and standing up quickly, only to crash back against the car a heartbeat later.

At the same time Regina was talking to Gold, Emma had just hung up on her parents. They'd told her about how an earthquake came and split the ground in front of some mansion. The town was being destroyed. Which meant Henry would be the only one to survive. He was the only person in Storybrooke that didn't come from the Enchanted Forest. Everyone else was going to die. Which lead to Emma making the decision she swore she wouldn't make Henry do just hours ago. There was only one way to fix this. But it had to be quickly. Very quickly.

The feeling in her chest subsided and she let her hands fall from her sternum in relief. She looked at Henry and Violet. "Henry… can you give Violet and I a minute? I, uh, I need to talk to her." He tipped his head to the side but luckily agreed. As soon as he was out of earshot, Emma crouched down just enough so she and Violet were staring eye-to-eye.

"Violet," she began. "I am so sorry that we met under such circumstances. I was the Dark One and was desperate to get rid of the darkness inside me. I never meant to hurt you, but in the heat of the moment, you do whatever you deem necessary to protect your loved ones. I should never have done what I did. I realize that now. I can only ask for your forgiveness, but I understand if you don't forgive me. It was never my intention to hurt you or Henry. I just want you to know that I wish I could see what you two become. After I go… I need you to take care of Henry for me, alright? Help him see that he had no choice."

Violet stared at her in confusion. "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you mean. He has no choice for what?" Emma only smiled sadly at her and looked away. Her parents had arrived.

They rushed out of the car and Emma walked forwards to meet them, flinching the entire way. But Emma Swan is a stubborn person and she was not going to just sit back and be weak. She gave both of them bone-crushing hugs, tears streaming down her face. She refused to move for a whole minute, only releasing when a faint throbbing started in her sternum. They had to hurry.

"Mom. Dad. I love you both so much. Which is why I have to do this." She didn't even give them a chance to respond, knowing she'd change her mind if she talked for too long. Regina and Henry confronted her.

"Emma, what the hell is going on here? What was the imp talking about?" Regina's eyes were bewildered. She tried to read the blonde's expression, but it was a blank slate.

Emma turned her attention to Henry. "Henry, do you still have that Crystal?" He hesitantly nodded. "Good. I need you to understand something, alright? This isn't your fault. None of this is. But you need to use it on me. You have to end me so-"

"What? _NO!_ " Henry instantly spluttered.

"You have to," she begged. It's the only way to save this town. You've always wanted to be the hero. Here's your chance. You have to return magic. I'm all that's left of it. In order to set it free, you must use that Crystal on me, or everyone besides you will die." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "You'd be the only person left in here because you're the only one who wasn't born back in the Enchanted Forest."

"But I need you, Mom, please," he sobbed. "I can't lose you, too. I've already lost everyone I considered my father. I can't lose you. I can't."

"You'll lose me either way. But, kiddo, this is your chance to be the hero and save the day." She turned to Regina. "Regina, after I'm gone, this town will need a new Savior. I'm entrusting you with that role. I know you're grieving right now and not yourself, but you can fight any dark impulses. I know you can."

Emma took a heaving breath, realization hitting her. She was going to cease to exist. She wouldn't get the option to move on. What that meant for her, she had no clue. But she was going to be with Robin. "Regina, is there anything you want me to tell Robin if i see him wherever I'm going?"

Regina finally broke and began to cry as well. "Tell him I love him, I miss him, and I'll do my best to raise Roland and baby Robin." Emma nodded and faced her parents.

"When you two… die and move on. Or whoever dies first and moves on, please tell Killian what happened for me. And tell him I'll miss him forever."

She grabbed the Olympian Crystal that was still in Henry's pocket and placed it in his hands. Emma nodded at him before stepping back and preparing herself. She made eye contact with Regina and saw the love she had for her reflected in her own eyes. Emma had viewed Regina as a sister for a long time, and this was hard for her to do.

An involuntary huff of breath escaped her lungs as the Crystal was plunged into her chest. She looked at Henry and saw that he himself couldn't bring himself to watch his mother die.

The pain was more agonizing than anything Emma Swan had felt before in her painful life. She could feel the magic seeping from her body and back into the air of Storybrooke. She could feel the burning edges of the Crystal penetrating her chest. She could feel her body struggling for air. She could feel her life draining. But most importantly, she could hear the cries of everyone around her as she turned into a pile of ashes. Emma was forced to watch, a mindless nothing, as everyone collapsed to the ground. She wanted to cry with them, but she was void of emotion. She wanted to feel, but couldn't. She wanted to move, but couldn't. The next moment, the ground turned to water and cries, moans, and screams echoed all around her in the green river. There was no saving someone from the River of Lost Souls.

Especially when her soul floated to the bottom of the river, down into the abyss, and Emma Swan completely disappeared. That was the fate of anyone struck with the Olympian Crystal. One could say that Emma Swan followed Robin Hood, but that'd be a lie, because Hades wasn't kidding. That Crystal ends you. There is nothing more, not even a blackness in your vision. You're just gone.


	5. Destruction Everywhere

AN: In response to Jokermask18 and lightningmcqueenroot66, I will certainly start working on your requests after the finale! I just had this idea after I finished that last one, and had already started writing this. It'd be too confusing to be working on three polar opposite stories at a time. Haha!

This is a Post-Dark Swan au in which Emma was as evil as we'd been shown at Comic-Con. The past in Camelot is the same leading up until 5x07 in which she actually killed Merlin. She'd truly been as dark as we had been shown, and this is set the day after they remove the darkness from her. Everyone is alive in this.(This is a very dark story, and a beast to write!)

This chapter is rated M.

Summary: Storybrooke is a mess after the actions of the Dark Swan. Though her family forgives her for what she'd done, the townspeople most certainly do not, and want justice. Emma is in a very bad state, as she feels immensely guilty for her actions.

Trigger Warnings for this chapter include: mentions of self-harm, suicide attempt, Emma starving herself, graphic depictions of violence, and depression.

* * *

It was the day after Emma Swan had been freed from the darkness. It'd been one hell of a ride, as she'd killed Merlin back in Camelot. The town was in havoc and no one had heard from Emma since she'd disappeared in a cloud of white smoke. Pure horror and devastation had been written on her face following the darkness leaving her body. Her eyes were as wide as owls when she had stared at the devastation around her. Crumbled buildings and a couple bodies sprawled on the ground were the lightest of the damage.

No one had followed Emma after she left. No one saw how she had made incision after incision on her arm, believing she deserved the pain. She'd pondered suicide, but decided against it, unwilling to make her family feel even more agony. So much guilt flooded her body that she forced herself to stay up all night, despite her body's protests. The lack of sleep for months hit her like a wave after the darkness was vanquished, but the blonde was determined to pay for her mistakes.

No one saw how she mourned feeling so lost, so lonely, so vulnerable, and so depressed. She felt lost in a way that she couldn't believe she'd let the darkness take over her. She couldn't believe she'd gone against everything her title as Savior stated. She was pushing her family away so they wouldn't have to see how betrayed she felt by both herself and them. Betrayed that Regina wouldn't end her after she lost her battle when Regina had promised to. Betrayed that they put her in Rumplestiltskin's old cell to protect everyone. Betrayed that she'd turned against herself and listened to the convincing pleas and request of the darkness. She was vulnerable because tears couldn't stop streaming down her pale cheeks. Vulnerable because she hated herself and wanted to die. Depressed because she didn't even know who Emma Swan was anymore. Of all the times in Emma Swan's life, she'd never been this messed up. Not when Neal left her, not when she'd been raped by many of her foster fathers. Not even when she'd found out her parents had put her potential for darkness into another child.

After Emma had disappeared, the gang all agreed to give Emma space until she came to terms with what she'd allowed herself to do. If they'd just payed more attention to how shattered she'd looked, they'd have realized that was exactly why she needed to be tended to. Being alone would only make her feel unloved and unwanted. She needed to feel love again, know what it felt like to have it and give it. No one wanted to admit it, but they were all still scared of her. She was supposed to be their Savior. But she'd turned on them.

It'd been one hell of an experience, watching perhaps the most loved and appreciated person in Storybrooke become the most hated and feared. They'd tried getting Killian and Henry to talk to her, which had worked up until Emma Swan, the once pure-hearted woman, kill Merlin. Nemue had had much more of an influence on her than anyone could've imagined. The darkness had become harder and harder for her to resist, the desire to watch more pain being inflicted becoming too strong to push away. After turning into a villain, they'd managed to trick the Dark One into walking straight into squid ink. It's killed them on the inside.

What no one had realized was that with each passing day, the darkness inside her gradually pushed away the light magic as well as her sanity until there was none left. And some things can never be returned. Emma Swan can never be the person she once was ever again. After arriving back in Storybrooke, she'd begun wreaking havoc to everyone and everything. Between taunting and crushing hearts, no one had been able to escape her. In a last desperate attempt to save Emma, they'd planted a fake spell in a book in her basement, hoping to trick her. It was a last resort. If they couldn't trick her, they knew they had to end her in order to save everyone. But luck was on their side. Emma had seen the page and, believing it was an actual spell that would give her all the magic in Storybrooke, had cast it in the middle of town so she could gloat. What she didn't expect, however, was the burning, white hot fire in her veins as the darkness was pulled out of her body and into the dagger. The dagger obliterated in her hands, leaving a confused and horrified Emma standing in the middle of the streets.

As soon as the heroes had gone to sleep for the night, the townspeople, led by Whale and Grumpy, went on a frenzy. They wouldn't -no, couldn't- let Emma get away with all she'd caused. They didn't care about the why, only the what. They didn't consider that Emma could already be punishing herself. They only cared that a villain they were certain to go free, since she was the Charming's daughter, had nearly destroyed the town. They didn't know that Emma had already cut herself, beat her arm until there were giant bruises forming, and almost pulled the trigger of a gun that had been pressed to her skull. They didn't notice that she planned on starving herself and staying away from her family. They didn't notice how her hands trembled or how her shoulder shook from violent sobs. They only noticed the carnage surrounding them.

The morning after the Savior had been saved, Grumpy had approached his Prince and Princess. "She needs to pay for her crimes," he angrily stated once they were in earshot. "Just because she's your daughter doesn't mean she gets to sit around and not pay for the crime."

The Charmings looked surprised at this, expecting Grumpy of all people to be on their side. However, they knew he'd have the town backing him up. They had to agree. "We will," Charming said after a long moment. "We're just waiting until she's ready to talk. She was in a hard position for a long time. She fought as long as she could."

"You got that right," he retorted. "She nearly destroyed the town! It was only you who stopped her. And if you don't take care of this, we," he lingered, letting the words sink in that he was referring to everyone that was still alive in the town. "Will put an end to her." He'd stalked away after that, leaving a beyond startled duo in the dust.

Another week passed by and no one had seen or heard from Emma. They'd tried entering her house, but there was a protection spell cast over it. Not even Henry had been able to get inside. The only sign that she was inside was the occasion flick of a light turning on and then off a minute later. No one knew that the reason for the light was so Emma could watch in pleasure at her slowly thinning body. Giant bags rested under her eyes and she had one miniscule meal every day. The meal was two pieces of toast every morning, but she ran outside, deep in the forest, to burn off the calories.

On the seventh day, the manhunt for Emma by the townspeople began. It also just so happened that Emma, dressed in baggy sweatpants and a sweatshirt, was jogging outside her house to begin her regular run. A group of people saw her and began sprinting after her, radioing another group that was closer. Had Emma's ears echoing the pounding of blood not been so loud, she would have heard the commands to stop running from behind her. But she didn't and kept jogging at a fast pace. The townspeople believed she was trying to run away, and a man across the street on Emma's left charged forwards. He tackled into her, and her body was thrust against a fencepost. Before she even had a chance to recover, the same man grabbed her by the shoulders and threw her to the ground.

Already in a weakened state, Emma didn't attempt to get up. She knew she deserved whatever she had coming for her. So she remained flat on her stomach, an arm wedged between her and the gravel from her fall. She didn't even flinch when someone planted their foot on her back to keep her from running as another called for Grumpy. He arrived a few minutes later, grinning at her surrender. He grabbed her forearm and cuffed it with handcuffs before harshly snagging her other arm, jerking it from underneath her, and cuffed it as well. All the while, her face remained void of any emotion and she stared straight forwards, utterly defeated. It still remained emotionless when she was forced to her feet and led towards the Sheriff's station. Her station. She let her head fall to rest against her chest, her blonde hair that was once flowing a smooth now thin and knotted, too ashamed with herself to even make eye contact with anyone. It's only be seen as an act of defiance if she did, anyway. Emma was so lost that she didn't even notice the magical cuff being placed on her wrist. It wasn't until she was shoved into the jail cell on the left that she was even fully aware of what was going on.

Left with two sets of cuffs on her wrists, Emma Swan curled up in the corner of her cell as comfortably as she could without straining her shoulders. Her hands were stuck behind her back. Emma wasn't even aware of the fact that Grumpy stayed behind, silently gloating over his victory. An hour later, Killian, Henry, Regina, and the Charmings came entered the office. It was a Saturday morning, after all, so Grumpy wasn't surprised to find Henry with them. They always arrived at 7:00 sharp every morning to discuss if they should approach Emma before they went about their regular day. So it was quite a surprise when they saw Grumpy smirking at them before glancing at the jail cells. They followed his gaze, Regina's mouth still open since she'd been talking, and all widened their eyes at the sight of their friend, daughter, mother, and lover.

The first thing they noticed was that her head was hanging down to the ground as if she were asleep. Then they saw the thin body, and knew she was losing weight. Emma had always been slender, but never this thin. She jumped, almost in fright, when she heard a sharp exclamation of, "Mom," "Emma," and "Swan," at the same time. She stared at them with wide, frightened eyes, though she herself didn't say anything back. Her gaze darted back to the ground a moment later, her pent up shame rising to the surface once again.

"I told you we'd get her if you didn't," Grumpy said, breaking the awkward silence that had once settled. He dangled the keys to the cell in front of him. "And I'll be taking these. We need to make sure she stays exactly where she belongs. A hazard as dangerous as her doesn't deserve the freedom you so called heroes have been giving her. She needs to pay for her crime." He walked out, head high and proud, without another word.

Killian was the first to step up to the cell. "Swan," he whispered, silently begging her to just look at him. She didn't. Not a single muscle twitched. "Emma," he tried again. "Please look at me." After a long moment, her head slowly lifted to look at him. He crouched down to look her eye-to-eye. "Emma, I know you're blaming yourself for all of this." Her eyes flickered at those words, and she hesitantly began to scoot closer to the bars. "None of this is your fault. Don't let yourself suffer for something that isn't your fault. The darkness is very luring. Everyone here knows that. That's exactly why we've already forgiven you, love."

She stared at him for a long moment before trying to speak. Her voice sounded raspy from the lack of use. "Please, just go. I…" she paused, blinking furiously to keep a tear from streaking down her face. "I can't forgive myself. I should've been stronger."

He gave her a skeptical look. "Emma, you're the strongest person I have ever met-"

"Do you have any idea what it's like to not be in control of yourself?" She questioned in a whisper, interrupting him. She started to tremble. "It felt like everything that was wrong was right. I remember enjoying the feeling of Merlin's heart being crushed in my hands. She was so convincing… I remember wanting to hurt all of you like how I'd been hurt by you. I remember feeling my light magic and sanity leaving with every passing day. I remember revelling in killing fifty townsfolk. Oh, fuck. I remember killing Ashley and Sleepy. I remember hanging their bodies above Granny's Diner for everyone to see. I recall cutting Rumple down until he wasn't even recognizable. So many memories of horrible deeds, and you think I deserve forgiving? I don't even know who I am anymore. So, please, Killian… everyone… just leave. I deserve whatever they want to do to me. It will be justified."

Knowing they'd be fighting a losing battle, everyone besides David left. David, after all, worked at the station. He promised to keep an eye on Emma and call everyone if anything changed. The only thing Emma did was crawl through her arms so they were now in front of her rather than behind. She fell into a fitful sleep, constantly jerking awake with labored breathing, clearly reliving some of her memories as the Dark Swan. One particular dream, however had an effect on Emma that people across the street could hear.

Emma glared daggers at the woman standing in front of her in defiance. Ashley refused to move out of the way to let her get to Sean. He needs to pay, Nemue whispered into her ear. She nodded eagerly to herself. "I'm picturing a very beautiful Christmas décor. His body parts would be nice ornaments to add to your tree," she smiled at her former friend. The woman was shaking to her toes, though she still stood in Emma's pathway. She raised a hand and began to choke the younger blonde.

"Emma-please," she gasped. "You-you can still come back from this!"

The Dark Swan snarled and tightened her grip. "There is nothing to go back to! This is who I am now. Everyone thinks of me as some stupid fucking Savior and they can't accept that this is who I have always been. These people are so hypocritical. They always think of the what and never the why. They aren't asking why I'm dark. They only care that I am. They don't care that I was raped for the first time when I was eight years old. They don't care that I've nearly been beaten to death by some abusive foster parents. They only care that I was some destined 'savior' and now they can't stand that they were lied to."

She suddenly smiled and became icily calm. "You know what? I think your body will make a nice decoration." With that, she released Ashley, who fell to the ground, gasping for air. A bat appeared in Emma's hand and she began to beat the woman. Sticky blood spattered everywhere and by the time Emma finished, an arm was completely flattened, spine splintered, neck broken, and her head bashed in. A grin formed on her face and they reappeared at Granny's. Emma reassembled the mangled woman's body next to Sleepy's so that it hung from the sign above the fence and waited in the shadows.

Emma shot forwards with a scream that didn't even sound human. Her stomach quickly emptied itself of any food that was still inside and she rocked back and forth on her heels. She was so far gone that she didn't even hear David's voice frantically calling her name. She didn't hear him call for help. She didn't hear the others arrive. She only heard the sickening thud of the bat crushing Ashley's body . It wasn't until someone touched her shoulder that she realized that she'd rolled towards the cell bars. A screech escaped from deep within her throat, and Emma scrambled backwards until her back slammed against the back wall. She was vaguely aware of her eyes being widened to the point that it hurt. She was vaguely aware of blurry voices in the background. She couldn't even see them; her mind was filled with the pictures of all the gruesome acts she'd committed.

She wasn't aware of nurses entering the room and quickly checking her over, screamin behind them that Emma was unresponsive. That she needed medical help now. That she was suffering severely from PTSD. The only thing Emma was aware of was Ashley walking towards her, her mutilated body standing tall. "I was wrong," it hissed. "It is too late for you to come back. You're too far gone."

Killian stared behind him, grateful that Regina and Robin had taken Henry out of the room, saving the young man from seeing the horrifying state of his mother. Her eyes were bloodshot, wide and glazed over as though she were seeing something no one else could. Her head was tipped up into the air, almost like she was watching someone walk towards her. It wasn't until she started to violently thrash around that the nurses finally stuck a sedative in her arm. He ran up to her the second after, pushing through the swarm of people and to Emma. He kneeled in front of her a carefully stroked her face.

"Love, it's going to be okay. Everything is okay, you hear? You're okay, Henry's okay, your parents are okay, everyone is okay. Whatever you're seeing right now isn't real, Emma. Focus on my voice. Come back to me," he murmured to her. Her eyes slowly fell to meet his. "That's it," he encouraged. "See? Everything is okay."

That was a lie, though. She'd been sitting on the floor, petrified, long before the nurses finally agreed to come. She'd been sitting on the floor staring at a mindless nothing for over an hour. It was a lie that everyone was okay. Everyone was scared for her. They hadn't expected her to be in such a bad state. He called for Henry, who entered the room just as his mother fell to the side, rendered unconscious from the sedative.

"Henry, I need you to undo these cuffs on Emma," he said, not taking his eyes off of Emma. "Get some bobby pins or whatever. If you've inherited anything from your parents, it better be the ability to pick locks."

Everyone stared at him, which he could feel against his back. "What? We need to keep her comfortable. I don't give a bloody damn if that dwarf gave us the key to the only way to do that is to not have those bloody cuffs keeping her hands together. We need to uncuff her. We need to keep her safe. The only way to truly do that is to keep her comfortable."

After Henry unpicked the locks, Killian picked her up in his arms, noticing how much lighter she was than when he'd picked her up back at the ice cave 1 ½ years ago.. He ignored the nurses' protests, insisting he'd bring her to them at the hospital. He clutched her limp form tightly to his chest, terrified of losing her again. He gently murmured soothing words to her, though the words were too incoherent for the others to hear. They didn't hear him saying sweet nothings though they could tell that he hadn't said the words everyone knew he so desperately wanted to.

Emma shot forwards in her bed, only to slam back against it. Confused and dazed, she slowly looked at her wrists and ankles on the hospital bed… wait, hospital bed?... and saw the restraints holding her down. She also saw numerous tubes sticking out of her arms and started hyperventilating. She could almost hear Nemue's voice saying, "They'll tell you it's for your own good. But they're scared of you, Emma. Always have been, always will be. Don't trust them. You can come back to me… to us, Emma."

She flinched and screamed when someone put a hand on her shoulder. She looked over and suddenly saw the scenery back in Camelot just after she'd killed Merlin. Nemue was holding her shoulder again, a wide grin of pride written on her face. Emma instantly tried to squirm away but couldn't due to the restraints. She was trapped. Five more Dark Ones approached her from other sides on the bed. She slammed her eyes closed, unaware that she was still screaming, and began thrashing around in despair. She was so lost in her own mind that she didn't notice her sweatshirt sleeves rising up her forearm or the gasps as the Dark Ones saw scar after scar littered there. Some fresh from that morning, some from the day before, some from a week ago. She was aware of a slight prick in her arm, and instantly tried to jerk away. But her senses were already clouding over. She knew exactly what was just injected in her arm, and silent tears slipped from close eyelids. They'd thought they'd helped last time, but going to sleep was so much more worse on Emma than being awake and witnessing it.

Emma awoke some time later and this time she was alone. Based on the fact that darkness was pooling into the room and the position of the moon from the window, Emma estimated that it was around 11:00pm. A perfect time to make her escape. She carefully rubbed her wrists against the rope and loosened it before slipping out of them. Followed by that, she tugged all the IVs out of her arm and flipped the machines off before they could make a untied her ankles after that and cautiously made her way out the door. Luck appeared to be on her side for the door out of the hospital directly to her left. The same door her father had used to escape before the first curse was broken. She hastily made her way down the woods and towards her house. With any luck, the protection spell would still be up. She didn't notice that it wasn't. Or that someone was following her.

Emma slipped into her house and grabbed her handgun before writing down a long note for her family to find. She shoved the gun into her pocket and left the house again, heading straight for Main Street. The shadow behind her flitted around, following but never confronting, waiting to see what the blonde planned on doing. It wasn't until Emma stopped in the middle of the road and pulled the gun out, placing it against her head, that the figure burst out from the shadows. With a sharp exclamation of, "Emma!" the figure began taking shaky steps towards her. She whipped and stared at him. Killian couldn't believe he didn't see how lost she was. He'd never seen her so traumatized.

Emma stared into terrified ocean blue eyes. The man she loved was about to watch her death. Great. "Emma, my love, please. What are you doing?" Even his voice shook and his eyes were becoming glassy.

"Killian… what are you doing here?"

He took another step forwards, and then another, his hands in front of him. "Following you, love." He paused when he was a foot away from her. "Emma, I never got the chance to tell you this, but now I have the chance. And I'm using that chance right now. I love you, Emma Swan, no matter what you've done. And I'm not going to say I forgive you hoping you'll be better because you and I both know that'd never work. You have to forgive yourself for your actions, no matter what others say."

That did it. Emma collapsed into his arms, not even noticing that he took the gun out of her hands and sliding it away from them. Tears streamed down both of their faces, though a miniscule smile formed on Emma's face. He loves me, she thought to herself. The feeling of happiness lasted only a matter of seconds for she glanced up and saw Ashley's corpse once more.

"It's too late for you," it said.

Knowing the woman was right, Emma slyly maneuvered herself so her arm rested against Killian's hook. She knew it was embezzled with magic, and she desperately needed that cuff off. Quick as a snake, the deed was done and Emma pushed away from the embrace. He was startled until she scrambled away and grabbed the gun away. With a final whisper of, "I'm sorry. I love you, too," Emma disappeared and reappeared at the town line. With a shaky breath, Emma Swan said, "I know, Ashley. I'm sorry I wasn't stronger," stepped over the line, and pulled the trigger.


	6. Sacrifice

**Request: What if it had been Emma who dies instead of hook to end the darkness.**

 **AN: I have received this request twice now, so this one was my top priority at the time. Sorry for not updating recently! I've finals coming up, so I need to study for that as well as a bunch of Marching Band things going on that I've been staying after for.**

 **This isn't among my best creations, but oh well.**

 **This takes place just before Emma stabs Killian.**

* * *

Emma Swan was a stubborn woman. She gave into the darkness solely for the purpose of saving her true love, Killian Jones. And now here he was, standing feet in front of her, telling her that it was okay that he was about to die. But now Emma realized the truth. True Love is making the ultimate sacrifice for those you love. She couldn't just sit back and let her initial sacrifice be in vain. She couldn't let him must die, not when there was a way still to save him. She'd been selfish earlier. Planning a premeditated murder against Zelena in order to save both of their butts. But now Emma knew that as the Savior of Storybrooke and as the former Dark One, it was her sacrifice to make. Not Killian's. So she tipped her head to the side, tears streaming down her face, and raised a hand to wave it over his body. He froze in place, his ocean blue eyes widening.

"Swan, what are you doing?" Fear laced his voice, and he struggled to move from the spot. Her light magic held strong though. He was stuck.

She stared him in the eyes, her blue-green ones begging him to understand. "Killian, I can't let you die for me. Not for my mistakes. That ruins the whole purpose of saving you. Months ago, I told you that I couldn't lose another person I loved. And I meant it. I can't lose you, not when I just got you back."

Excalibur shook with even more vigor, the darkness that was trapped inside desperately trying to get out. Emma turned around and faced her family, freezing them in place as well. She couldn't let anyone sacrifice themself for her. She was the Savior. She was supposed to bring back the happy endings. She can't just sit back and let their happiness be destroyed. So Emma couldn't bring herself to look in anyone's eyes. To see the pain and despair in their eyes. She looked at Regina and Regina alone. She nodded in understanding and broke through the magic. Emma held Excalibur out towards her friend, who took it after a moment of hesitation. Regina gave Emma a questioning look that stated, 'are you sure about this?'

Emma's nod was so small that it was barely visible. She took a deep breath and looked everyone in the eyes. It killed her on the inside at seeing tears leak down Henry's face, powerless to do anything to stop what was about to happen. The next second Emma felt the sword ripping through her body. An anguished cry escaped her lips at the excruciating pain that was radiating through her chest. She could feel the metal ripping and tearing through her body. The heartbeat the hilt of the sword met her sternum, Emma could feel all the darkness spreading through her body. Fire burned her blood as her light magic battled the dark.

Everyone else was unfrozen when the sword pierced Emma's front, though they were still too shocked to even move. Killian was the only one that stepped forwards. Regina stepped away from the blonde so Killian could tell her goodbye. Pure white light illuminated the nighttime darkness. Out with the black, clad leather. Out with the white hair that was pulled up into a tight bun. Out with the pale skin. Out with everything that resembled the Dark Swan. When the light disappeared, there stood Emma Swan. The sheriff of Storybrooke, the Savior, the product of True Love, the woman who put everyone's needs before her own, even if it cost her something in return. Killian pulled the sword out of her body, though the damage was already done.

Everyone stared down at the blade as it disintegrated in Killian's hand and then up at his neck. He hissed in pain when the wound reappeared. Blood started to leak down his throat. But Emma Swan wasn't about to let him die. Raising her hand up, she traced the wound with her fingers before using her light magic to heal it. As the Dark One, Emma hadn't been able to heal it because she had been using dark magic. But now that she was back to being the Savior, she was able to use Savior magic to heal it. She collapsed into him a moment later, and he slowly lowered her to the ground.

"Stay with me, Emma!" he begged. Emma's eyes flickered to Rumple, who had been sitting there the entire time. Though she was experiencing immense agony, she managed to raise a shaky finger and point it at him.

As she lay there dying, Emma could feel the darkness leaving her body. But it wasn't being destroyed. It was being transferred over into Rumplestilskin. Emma felt the energy leave her body, and she allowed her eyelids to flicker closed.

* * *

Emma glared upwards at Hades in defiance. She'd woken up on the ground in the Underworld with him standing over her, a proud grin on his face. He'd dragged her down to his lair, and now here she was. Five minutes into the torture and she already had blood dribbling out her mouth and down her chin. She spat the sticky substance, only to receive a harsh kick to the face that sent her lurching backwards and sprawling ungraciously to the floor.

She went to stand up, and chains appeared on her wrists. The metal ran up to the upper corners of the ceiling. The Savior was trapped. Hades smirked and handed a whip over to his head in command, Lucifer. "There's no need to be gentle," he whispered into the taller man's ear. "I've some business with incoming heroes to deal with."

He walked away, smiling a cheesy grin as the Saviors screams echoed down the dark passageways. Time to send the heroes on a wild goose chase.

* * *

"I want you to punch me, Savior," he commanded the woman. Two weeks had passed with no success on the heroes' side. Emma had broken three times by now and he planned on making it four today. While he paced around her, admiring the long incisions running up and down the Savior's back, Lucifer went to fetch the cup of water he'd requested. It was almost time. She stared at him in shock.

"W-what?" she spluttered. She couldn't believe this man - no, this lord - was telling her to attack him. She knew that she'd broken in front of him three times before. All when he'd been torturing her, and she knew he was trying to get her to break. He knew how badly she wanted him dead, and he was trying to use that against her.

"You heard me. I. Want you. To punch." He leaned up in her face. "Me."

At the time, Emma didn't care. She lurched forwards and laid punch after punch to his face and ribcage. After about a minute, he flung her off of him, and Lucifer entered the room. The demon stared at his master in surprise. Blood was spilling from his nose. Emma chuckled a deranged laugh.

"I win," she called. "You're bleeding. Gods can't bleed."

Hades was at her side in a heartbeat, jerking backwards on her hair, causing her to grunt in pain. "I told you to punch me and you did. You broke again, Emma. You lose." Her eyes widened when he forced her mouth open. Lucifer tipped the liquid into her mouth, and Hades slammed her jaws together so she couldn't spit the liquid out. He knew she'd swallowed when a blank expression filled emerald orbs. "Let's start training, soldier."

* * *

(Two weeks later)

The heroes had expected one hell of a fight from the moment they first saw Hades. What they didn't expect was to see Emma Swan standing next to him. She had the same clothes on from when they'd last seen her, but there was a look in her eyes that none of them could identify. It was a look of someone who doesn't know who they are, let alone cares about who they are. It was a look of someone who just followed orders and didn't question them. Regina was the only one to go after Emma when both lines surges forwards and the carnage began. Henry had been ordered to stay back in the loft and they could only hope he obeyed. Regina tried desperately to reach through to Emma.

"Miss Swan, what do you think you're doing?" Emma didn't reply. She merely lunged forwards with the sword again. Regina parried it away with her own, refusing to fight an unfair fight. If Emma wasn't using magic, neither would she. After numerous attacks, Emma knocked the sword from Regina's hand and backed her away from everyone else, separating her from potential backup. Regina's back hit a wall as the Savior pressed the blade against her throat. "Emma, don't do this," she pleaded. "Don't leave Henry motherless!"

Something flickered in Emma's gaze. She stepped back and shook her head when a memory - No, vision, she told herself - of a young boy arriving at her doorstep in some apartment appeared. "What the hell," she hissed. "What kind of witch are you," she demanded, pressing the sword back against the other woman's throat.

"My mom," she heard behind her. She turned around and saw an older version of the boy in front of her. He swung the bat he had in his hands and everything went black.

* * *

Emma woke up an hour later lying in a bed. She groaned and went to reach for the throbbing area on the side of her head, but restraints held her down. She stared at them, calmly accepting this. She assumed that this was another method of training by Hades, but was startled when she heard the voices of those wretched heroes. She glared at them when they entered the room. Her lip twitched.

"Go ahead," she challenged. "Do your worst. I'm not going to tell you anything." They all gave her a sad look. Emma studied their body language and facial expressions, determining why they were here. She smirked and let out a chuckle. "You're looking to save someone." She tilted her head to see the pirate's eyes. "A woman." Their heads snapped up to meet hers. "It'll never work. No one escapes here. Not once you're dead."

The woman with short black hair stepped forwards. "Emma-"

"Why the hell do you keep calling me Emma? Who do you seem to think I am?" The child appeared again and opened a book called, "Once Upon a Time," to a page of someone that looked like her dancing with the pirate. "Fascinating stories," she said sarcastically. She was only talking so they wouldn't see her loosening the bonds that were pinning her down. She swung a right fist out to the nearest person the moment she got the chance. It connected with the woman she'd been fighting earlier. Bolting out of the room, the blonde heard the pounding steps of the others following her. She heard five familiar words sound in her head and she froze, the blank look crossing her face again. Fight, Hades whispered to her. She complied.

The storybook opened to a page that had a picture of Excalibur on it at some point. Emma's eyes widened when she saw it and all of her memories came rushing back. Everything leading up to Excalibur being plunged through her chest. She raise da shay hand and touched the spot it had struck. Everyone watched from their positions on the floor as she sank to the ground, holding trembling hands to her head. It was too much agony at once. But they had Emma, and that's what mattered most. What no one expected was for her to tell them to go home, that there was no way to save her. They refused at first until Emma sent them back to the lake. They were already gone by the time Hades pushed the troubled Savior into the River of Lost Souls. They were already gone when countless souls of villains dragged her down into the murky depths below, sending her off into oblivion.


	7. Family First

**AN: Casually leans back and waits for the moment your hearts shatter ;)**

 **AU of the season four finale in which the darkness stayed in the Sorcerers Hat and Emma runs away, only to return four years later with a surprise.**

 **Also, totally didn't listen to the saddest &cutest instrumentals I could find(including ouat songs) while typing this. I would do no such thing! Never would I ever. That's just ridiculous.**

 **Anyways, this is similar to the season 13 finale of NCIS, as that episode is where I got this idea from. There will be mentions of flashback scenes from season 5 and some lines will be borrowed, but this is in no way like season 5.** **Slight quote parallels from that episode, too.** **Daddy Killian feels, as well as grieving, well, everyone feels. There are brief mentions of the finale and I changed a bit of a scene up that was shown on screen. You'll know it when you read it!**

 **Be sure to leave a review and maybe rate!**

* * *

Four years. Four years had passed since anyone had seen or heard of Emma Swan's name. Four years since Storybrooke had last had a villain in town. Four years since they'd come back from the alternate universe that Rumplestiltskin had created. Four years since the darkness had been destroyed following his death. Four years since Emma had fled Storybrooke, the continuous saving taking a toll on both her body and stress levels. Four years since Killian Jones had kissed or been with the woman he loved. One year since her parents gave up hope of ever finding her. One week since Henry, too, had lost hope. Two years since Regina Mills and Robin Locksley became married. But, most importantly, three years since Emma Swan discovered a terrifying truth shortly after she left Storybrooke and its problems behind her.

Fast forward four years, and here she is, driving down the same road used to lead to the town. The same road Rumple used to put a tie on to mark 100 yards from the line. She rove the same yellow bug that she had had since she was 18. Since Neal gave it to her after she got out of prison. She couldn't help the sad smile that etched onto her face at the fond memories they'd created. Sure, Emma loved him, but not love loved him. She loved him for what they'd created together. But Emma did still love Killian. She glanced back at the luggage she'd packed and couldn't help the tear that slowly slid down her cheek. She's coming home. Where she belongs. Not to mention, she has a surprise with her.

A giggle coming from her right causes her to turn in that direction, and Emma quickly tickled the three year old's tummy to get him to laugh. His giggle turned into a screaming laughter that made Emma chuckle to herself.

"You like that?" she teased, tickling him even more. Looking back at the road, she saw they were nearly on top of the border. Emma slowed the car down, put it to a halt. She got out of the car, opened the door for her son to get out, and handed him her phone. She gave him a stern face so that he knew she was being serious. "Listen, I need you to stay outside of the car just until I say it's safe." Emma knew she hadn't been in Storybrooke in a long time, and if her body reacted badly to her crossing back into a land with magic after three years, she did not want the child in the car with her. She was not going to risk his safety. "If anything happens…"

"Call 9-1-1," he squeaked, knowing the drill.

"If something happens," she adds, "come towards me before you make the call and when you do, ask for David Nolan and tell him there's been an accident. Tell him to come to the town line."

"So 'Come to town line! There is problem with mommy?'" he questioned.

Emma smiled at him. "Yeah, kid," she whispered. "Just like that. They'll know what to do." Thinking quickly, Emma quickly grabbed their luggage and set it on the ground. Thankfully, it wasn't much, but it was just enough that the child could carry it across the border. "Also be sure to bring this," she gestured to the bag, "with you, okay?"

He nodded his head, a sad look on his face. "Why you think bad happen, mommy?" he questioned, genuinely serious.

"You wouldn't understand…" she trailed off at the look he gave her. His father made the exact same face to her numerous times. It was one that said, 'uh, no, tell me. You're not getting out of this.' It was also the same look she had given Killian when he tried to brush off his and Ursula's past. "Fine," she consented with a groan. "You remember how I told you about those magical people?" He nodded enthusiastically, his eyes lighting up with sudden glee. He loved when she told him about the adventures and stories, even though he was too young to truly understand them. "Well, the place we're entering has magic. And I don't know how…" Emma groped for the right words. "My body might have a bad reaction."

He once again nodded in understanding. For a near three year old, he sure did comprehend things very easily. He knew when to be serious and when it was appropriate to be silly and goof off. Flynn Eugene Swan was a very intelligent person. Emma gave him a half smile, picked him up by his armpits and wrapped him into a tight hug. He returned the squeeze with as much strength as his small body could muster. "I love you, Flynn," she whispered into his ear. She also only ever called him by his real name when she was being dead-serious.

If at all even possible, he hugged her harder and replied with, "I love you, too, mom."

She put him down after a minute and gazed into his face, wanting to memorize every single detail. Emma had a gut feeling that something was going to happen, and if she was correct about that, she wanted his face to be the last thing she were to ever see.

So Emma memorized the ocean blue eyes that were always a painstaking reminder of what she'd left behind. The oh-so intelligent posture that was similar to Henry's. The unwavering hope and faith gene passed down from her parents. Giving him a quick kiss to the forehead, Emma got back into the car, made sure he was on the side of the road, and drove forwards.

The moment she crossed the line, her suspicions were confirmed. It felt as if something was burrowing itself under her skin and crawling up and down her body. The feeling belonged to magic rushing back to her. Emma lost control of the car, spun the wheel a few times, felt her shoulder slam into the window from the sudden push and felt the bug flip. On the third flip, Emma's head viciously slammed into the window and it burst. She could feel a red, sticky substance rolling down her face and she could've sworn she heard a screech that sounded like, "MOMMY," before her body succumbed to unconsciousness.

* * *

Killian, David and Snow were all at the station when David received a call. They'd been discussing setting up a plan to catch a sly thief that had robbed from the Game of Thorns. David pulled out his phone on the second ring, saw no caller ID, answered the phone and put it on speaker. "David Nolan, what's up?"

Several sobs replied to the question. "M-M-MOMMY!" the person finally managed to say. Everyone widened their eyes at hearing such a high-pitched voice, presumably a young child, call the police.

"What's going on?" he quickly questioned, his voice laced with concern. "Where are you? What's happened?"

Another pause. What they thought of the child dropping the phone was actually Flynn trying to remember what his mother had told him. "Come to town line," he finally said with a shaking voice. "There is problem with her!" The kid broke off with a sob before speaking again. "Car upside down. She no come out."

Killian spoke into the phone. "We'll be right over with an ambulance, okay?" he said with a glance at David. The question was directed to both the kid as much as David. He shook his head, mouthed, 'I need you to watch her' and used Snow's phone to call the ambulance. Killian rolled his eyes at being asked to watch David's wife just to make sure she didn't try to follow.

"You two keep working on that plan, I'll be right back once this gets cleaned up."

He came back over an hour later, a look of sheer anguish and despair written all across his face. Snow and Killian were still working out a strategy and were too caught up in their thinking to notice the prince entering the station.

Killian began to mumble to the princess. "Maybe if we make your loft appear empty, they could go in and-"

"Hook," David's hoarse voice called out.

"In a minute," he replied. "Anyways-"

"Killian!" David exclaimed this time. He froze, knowing that the prince only ever used his real name when something serious, bad, or both happened. He looked at him and instantly knew something was wrong. It had to be about whatever the child had been crying about. He glanced down and was confused when he saw a suitcase dangling from David's arms. "We found Emma," he managed to choke out.

Pure joy began to overwhelm the former pirate at hearing the words. It didn't click to him that she could be what was wrong. "Really? Where is she? I want to see her!" Killian strutted towards the door and called out, "Swan!"

A shake of David's head froze Killian in his spot, about one stride away from leaving the office. Images flashed in his mind as he relived the moment that he arrived at the town line. The flipped over yellow bug, the child screaming for his mother. The broken window with glass littering the pavement. David felt himself shudder as he once again saw Emma, unconscious with a giant gash in her head and a shard of the glass protruding from her stomach. She was already gone by the time they managed to pry the door open to pull her out. He would always remember the once beautiful and lush golden hair stained with blood. The bottom of the imfamous red jacket an even darke shade of red. "She didn't make it, Killian."

Killian froze in his spot, unable to believe what he just heard. This had to be some trick of the ears. If he just took a few more steps, he was certain he'd see her standing outside. He was certain she'd run up to him and engulf him in a bear hug. She couldn't just be gone. But the look on David's face told him the truth. The Savior, the mother of Henry, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, Killian Jones' true love, was dead. He stumbled backwards, into the glass wall with the office that was once Emma's. Sliding down to the floor, Killian cupped his mouth with his hand and allowed his eyes to water. He looked up at Snow and saw that she wasn't faring any better than he.

"Are you certain?" A simple nod answered him.

"That's not all," David added. Killian looked up at him, not ready for any more bad news. David turned around and signaled to some unknown visitor. "It's okay, you can come in," the prince gently cooed. Hesitantly, a small child walked in. Piercing blue eyes instantly caught Killian's and he almost gasped at the resemblance the kid had of Emma. He glanced up at the prince, who mouthed, "This is Flynn. He's Emma's son."

Ouch. There went another stab to his heart. Emma had moved on. Despite this, he once more looked at a grief stricken face and for some reason, pulled the child into a hug. "Is mommy going on vacation? To get help? They people who came?" Killian felt another piece of his heart shatter.

"Yeah, lad. Just… a really long vacation," he said, unwilling to bluntly say, 'no, she's dead.'

He looked up at Emma's parents and said, "I'll take him for the night. Let him calm down a little bit." David nodded in agreement and set the bag down.

"Here are their things. In case you want to look through them." With that, Killian left the station, with Flynn in his arms and the bag in his hook, and headed for the house he had bought a while back in case Emma ever came home.

* * *

After Killian put Flynn to sleep, he went downstairs and opened the suitcase. The first thing he noticed was a diary sitting on top of a bunch of clothes. Reaching for it, he let out a shaky sigh, grasped it, and read the title. It said 'My journal for my family.' He closed his eyes for a few moments before gathering the courage to open the journal to the first page.

"6/12/13

Killian, it's been a month since I've left you and my family behind but I can't come home. Fighting so many villains with such little time to relax and left my body heal is taking a toll on me. I don't know if I could do it again. There's just too much fear of losing any of my loved ones, including you, to the villain. Seeing my dad kill you in the alternate reality just pushed my desire to leave. There is no way I could've asked you to come with me. You've already sacrificed enough for me. Your ship, your life… now you don't have to anymore. I hope you all understand why I left and don't come searching for me. I don't want to be found. Regina deserves her happy ending as well, that's why Henry isn't with me. Gods, I hope he understands. My parents can now be what they've always wanted to be - parents. Baby Neal will become an amazing young man, I can feel it. Killian, please don't think that me leaving is because of you. In fact, if anything, it was to protect you.

I'm sorry but I can't let you all pay for my curse of being the savior. Deep down, you know I'm right. So please, promise me you'll move on and find happiness and help Henry grow into the best man he can be. That's enough for me. To leave knowing the family I always wanted is safe.

I love you all forever,

Emma"

Killian wiped his face to clear away the few tears he had shed upon reading the letter. Based off of the way she wrote the note, it appeared that she intended on sending it to Storybrooke. Another tear slipped down his cheek as he flipped to the next page.

"7/23/13

Killian… I'm pregnant. With your child. Remember the night we got back to reality? Well, that did the trick. It has to be your child. I've been with no one else in a very long time. Since before the first curse broke. Oh gods, I'm terrified, Killian. What if you don't want it? What if you don't want a child? I can't come back. I can't have my heart broken again if you cast me and the baby out. I'm so sorry.

-Emma"

He dropped the journal and cupped his mouth. Flynn is his kid. His and Emma's. He knew he should be happy that she didn't move on after all, but couldn't help but feel betrayed that she thought he'd abandon her. He'd promised her that he wouldn't let her down. Too busy with his own thoughts, he didn't hear the sound of the door opening and five sets of footsteps walk into the living room and pause behind his position on the couch. He didn't notice that they, too, were reading the journal from behind his shoulder.

"2/30/14

Flynn Eugene Swan was born on August(oh, the irony) 13th, 2014 at 5:04am. It's been hard, staying away from everyone and keeping Flynn away from you, Killian. I just… There's so much I'd have to answer to if I came back. Besides, a new villain would probably enter town. Can't put you all through that. You deserve your happy endings, not watch them nearly be obliterated. We're currently in Boston, but we're leaving in another week or two. Duty calls. He sure is hard work, though. Between crying during the nighttime and all day, it's not easy to get any sleep. Especially when you're working as a bail bondsperson.

Is all well with everyone? No new villains, correct?

Missing you,

Emma"

He slowly closed the book. It was already past midnight and he was exhausted. What he did here was a strangled sob behind him. Turning around, Killian saw Henry clinging to Robin and Regina, as well as Snow clinging onto David. They all stared at each other as he realized that they'd been reading over his shoulder. Robin opened his mouth to speak, but Killian cut him off.

"He doesn't even know," he breathed out in disbelief. "He doesn't know I'm his father." A brief pause. "Leave. Please. I need time to grasp all of this…"

* * *

The following morning, Flynn woke up at six in the morning, causing his father to wake up as well. For a moment, Killian thought he was dreaming until everything from last night hit him like a wave. Emma was dead. He had a son with Emma. Flynn didn't know the truth.

Seeming that the infant didn't know his mother was actually dead, and jumped on Killian's stomach and screamed, "Show me around town! Show me around town! Pllllleeeeeeaaaaaaaasssssseeeeeee!" With a groan, Killian consented by tickling Flynn's stomach, making him squeal with laughter.

Killian flashed a devilish smirk and asked, "Does that tickle?" A shake of Flynn's head said no, so Killian started gently poking at his sides. Flynn squirmed, struggling not to giggle.

After a moment, Flynn spoke. "Mommy does this everyday, too. When she come back?"

Not wanting to destroy the child's innocence, he replied as gently as possible. "One day, Flynn, you, too, with go on vacation and then you will see her again. Everyone will eventually go on vacation to see her."

"I understand," he responded, deflated for a moment. His face lit up. "Can we get ice cream?"

"Aye," he responded, winking at him. "The great Captain Hook buying ice cream for a kid!"

Flynn gave a smile that lasted from ear to ear. He leaned across the table and grabbed the hook, looking at it in fascination. "Mommy played Peter Pan a lot. But she said 'don't be afraid, Flynn.' She said, 'this is a false story.' every night she read me stories. Princes and princesses. My favorite is about the Pirate and the Princess. She always had this look in her eye. Why was that?"

"Your mother was telling you her story." He glanced at the ground where the suitcase was and saw a corner of a picture frame sticking out of the open bag. He leaned down to grasp it and pulled it up. It was a picture Snow had taken after they came back from the alternate reality. When Emma pushed the two of them onto the bed and he told her that he was a survivor. Snow had crept upstairs and snapped a photo when their foreheads were touching. It was taken perfectly. Their eyes spoke of the love they had for each other and they both had the biggest grins on that they'd ever had. It was when they shared their first(and last) 'I love yous' to each other. It was also the same night that they slept together.

Flynn caught sight of the photo and pointed at Emma. "Mommy," he stated. Then he pointed at the one of Killian. "Daddy." He squinted at the picture and looked at Killian again, comparing the faces. "DADDY!" he screamed while looking at him. Flynn wrapped his arms around Killian's neck, who quickly grasped hold of the child's body and returned the hug. He felt his heart swell. Emma had told Flynn who his father was after all.

A stray tear slipped down his face. "It appears so."

Flynn pulled away and looked Killian in the eyes. "I asked about you two days ago. About my Daddy. She said to pack my stuff. She said we were leaving the city to meet you."

* * *

"6/14/16

Killian, hey. It's been awhile since I've written to you. Flynn has been doing great considering we've been bouncing around the country a lot. I must say, Ocean City is probably my new favorite city in America. You'd probably like it. Flynn certainly does. He's turning one soon, and… oh, I miss you. But I can't come back. I can't just lay it on you that you have a son and force you to take care on him. That's not fair for you. You already act as a fatherly figure for Henry. It's just… now there's nothing left to do but just… oh, I miss everyone. Maybe we'll see each other again some day. For the time being though, I have to stay on the move.

Thinking of you,

Emma"

After showing Flynn around town, he stopped by at the loft so he could say his goodbyes to Emma. Snow opened the door with a five year old Neal in her arms. Her eyes were brimmed red and reflected sadness, but he understood that she didn't want to break the news to her son so she pretended to be okay.

"Hey," he mumbled. "I know I don't have any right to ask this, but could you watch this little guy," he gestured to the sleeping child on his shoulders. "For a little while? I want… I'd like to say my goodbyes to Emma before the funeral, you know?"

Snow gave him a smile of reassurance. "Go ahead. David and I will let Neal and Flynn play together. It'd do them both good to play with someone around their age."

"Yeah, you're probably right," he absentmindedly agreed. "I'll be back in an hour to pick him up-"

David interrupted him from the living room. "Take as long as you need. We all know you two were true love."

Killian turned around and walked away, his head hanging and silently tears rolling down his cheek. He still couldn't believe that she was gone. Just like that. No more dates, no more kisses, no more quiet talks at the beach where they shared their past with the other. No more Emma Swan.

He thought back to his fondest memory of her. It was at the beach and they were on a quiet date. No one knew they were there. They'd agreed to not tell anyone so they could just relax and not have to worry about the potential of a villain coming into town. It was also during the nine weeks of pure bliss in which there were no new villains, though at the time they didn't know that they wouldn't have needed to be sneaky.

* * *

 _Emma was the first to break the calming silence that had settled between the couple. "I'm sick of having my life decided for me," she admitted._

 _"What do you mean, my love?" he questioned. She looked at him and the look he was seeing in her emerald gaze was that of the angry, abused teenager he had seen when they were climbing the beanstalk. The look of a Lost Girl._

 _"It's just… Rumplefreakingstiltskin just had to use some potion to make me the cure to a curse that he created. I mean, what gave him the right to do that!? He told me that I was just used to break the first curse. One freaking curse all so he could find Neal. I can't really fault him for that, but it was not worth all the shit I had to go through throughout my childhood."_

 _To prove her point, she turned her back towards him and pulled up her shirt. He gasped at the scar that ran from the top of her right shoulder down to the bottom of the left side of her back. She answered his question before he even had a chance to ask it._

 _"I was thirteen at the time and I was with an abusive foster father who drank until he was drunk every night and would smoke cigarettes. One day, after we ate dinner that I had had to make, I accidently dropped the plates on the ground and it broke. My hands were slippery from the water when it happened. Well the bastard wouldn't accept my apology…" Emma shuddered as she thought back to that moment before continuing. "He tied my hands to the table to I couldn't run, got a steak knife, and, well, you can see what happened. Every night for ten days he'd reopen the wound, punishing me for what he considered a crime. Some wounds never fully heal."_

 _Killian didn't respond. She was about to pull the shirt down and see if he ran away after seeing how broken she was, when she felt a featherlight finger trace the scar. She flinched at first, simply due to the PTSD she's had to deal with whenever someone touches her back and she can't see them, before she relaxed her body and let him feel it. He stopped at her spinal cord and she felt his finger land on another spot. Again, she flinched, but this time it was at the memory itself. He was looking at a burn mark between her shoulder blades. Feeling behind her, she grasp the bra strap and lifted it so he could see the whole array of circular burns._

 _"The same man," she whispered so quietly that he could barely hear her. A small tear rolled down her cheek. "I ran into him one day when I was reentering the house. It was nighttime, so I should've been in my room at that point, but I'd snuck out to look at the stars. He tied me to the table again but this time I was on top of it and flat on my stomach, arms and legs tightly tied to the table legs. He lit a cigarette and just pushed it onto my back, letting it burn for minutes on end. He did it six times, Killian._ Six _. I was only thirteen. I was in those rebellious teenage years. I already didn't care what happened to me. You learn pretty quickly that you're just a meal-ticket, but this particular man… he enjoyed watching me suffer. Just as he pleasured himself every other night. He would rape me until I was on the verge of passing out. He only stopped because he wanted me to feel the agony. Do you have any idea how hard it is to pretend everything's okay when you just lose your will to live? I wanted it to end. The pain. He used me until he was sick of me, which was only for two months and then he put me back."_

 _Killian lowered her shirt and turned Emma so that she was facing him and gave her a sad smile. "Aye. You think I had it easy? When I was a young lad, my father sold Liam and me into slavery just so he could try to escape for the crimes he committed. When you're a slave, you need to learn your place very quickly. Liam and I were a little on the slow side." Taking off his jacket, Killian pulled up the left side of his shirt so she could see the massive burn mark. "They branded us. Whippings were for when you were slow, meaning don't be that last to finish. We were young at the time, so we were usually last."_

 _He grasped her hand with his and rubbed soothing circles on it. "I know you view those as weakness," he added, referring to her scar and burns. "But I see them as a sign of strength. You went through so much but look at where you are now. You fought and you won that battle. As I've said before, I've yet to see you fail, love."_

 _Emma stared deeply into his eyes, and slowly leaned forwards until their foreheads were touching. Both flickered their eyes closed and met in the middle for a passionate yet sweet kiss. Killian flicked his tongue against her lip and she granted him access, both exploring each other's mouths before they broke apart, panting heavily. However, a smile remained tangled on both of their faces._

* * *

Killian snapped out of his vision and found himself sitting with his back resting against the fence outside of Granny's. He didn't even realize that he'd walked there, he was too caught up in his own memory to notice. He couldn't do this. Not yet. Unbeknownst to him, what had seemed like a mere five minute long memory actually had him out of it for two hours. It was noon by the time he worked his way back to the Charming's loft to pick little Flynn up. When he arrived, the infant was quick to run into his arms.

"Daddy," he squeaked as Killian picked him up and twirled him around.

"Yeah, kid," he responded as he set Flynn back down. He remained kneeled so he could look him in the eyes. "How would you like to go sailing today?" He ignore the questioning looks of Snow and David staring at him behind Flynn's back. "I'll call and see if your older brother would like to join us." He did so and Henry agreed, wanting to meet his brother.

"YAY! YAY!" he shrieked, bouncing up and down.

David signaled that they wanted to talk to him, from the journal entries that he'd read, Flynn was a smart kid and would listen to what he was about to tell him. "Hey, Flynn, why don't you go wait for me outside and then we'll walk there and I'll tell you some stories?"

Flynn grinned and immediately ran out of the apartment.

"Whatever you're going to say, say it," he sighed after he closed the door. He just wanted to spend some time with Flynn and Henry.

Snow spoke. "As you know, her funeral is tomorrow. What are you possibly going to tell Flynn?"

"I know it's tomorrow. I'm going to tell him exactly what I've already told him," he snapped. "I'll say that we're sending her off on her vacation. But that's not what you wanted to talk about, is it? There's something else." They glanced at each other but didn't say anything. "Spit it out!"

"We know that you're planning on leaving," she snapped back with just as much ferocity as he had. His face paled. "We've seen that look in your eyes. Tell us where and why."

"Flynn and I will be going to Ocean City," he replied. "I understand that cities have a lot of traffic, but I know how to drive those land vessels. Emma wrote in one of her journals that Flynn loved it there. I owe it to her…" he trailed off, losing himself to his own thoughts.

* * *

"7/15/17

Killian, he keeps asking about you. Well, about his father. I haven't told him your name, but I've shown him that picture of us from a few days before I ran away. When I was sitting on your lap. So at least he knows what you look like. Today, though, something inside me broke. I told him, 'No more questions about your father. We're going to meet him, kid.' I've never seen a kid look so happy in his or her life. Even happier than when Henry found out that I'd decided to stay in Storybrooke the day after my 28th birthday. I'm working my way back to you, babe!

Seeing you tomorrow,

Emma"

Everyone stood still as a statue, their eyes all leaking tears as they stared at the casket that was being lowered into the ground. Flynn wasn't crying as much as the others simply due to the fact that he didn't truly comprehend what was happening.

"We're sending your mother off on her vacation," his father had told him when he'd asked why they had to dress up.

No one had spoken for her, either because they wanted to do it in private, had already said their goodbyes, or because they couldn't bring themselves to. Killian and Henry were crying the hardest and they told people to leave them alone when they tried to offer support. Almost everyone is Storybrooke had shown up for the funeral. Including the imp himself. He felt the most guilty for pushing Emma to her breaking point four years ago. He'd been so obsessed with his lust for power that he was blinded as to the anguish he'd been bringing to the Savoir. So he blamed himself for her death. If he'd never been stupid and caused himself to be banished by Belle, none of this would have happened.

When the service was over, he put and hand on his old enemy's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze before walking away. It wasn't long before father and son were the only ones left standing over the freshly placed dirt.

"Flynn, why don't you go wait for me in Emma - your mother's car? I'll be there in a few minutes," Killian asked his son. They'd already packed their bags to leave town for the ocean. For how long, Killian didn't know, but he'd told everyone at Granny's the previous night and they'd all understood. Even Henry had and the handsome young man even gave him a hug. Flynn said, "okay, Daddy," and went as fast as his little legs could take him to the car.

He heaved a heavy sigh before speaking. "I know I should be happy that you're not in any pain anymore, but I can't help but be angry with you. You didn't have faith in me that I would want Flynn. Was it because of all the pain you'd gone through in your life? Had you been scared of yet another rejection? I thought we'd promised each other to see the best, but it looks as if your walls broke it. I can't blame you for that. You've been through too much in your life to deserve this fate. Fate is cruel. I had planned our future together before you left in May. I was planning on proposing in December," he broke off and a sob shook his shoulders. "But now I'll never know if you would've been willing to take that next step with me because you're gone.

"I read your journal and I'm almost positive you would've agreed. And now there's nothing left to do but just… I have to let you go. For the boy's sake and for your own. So to help me let go, I'm taking him to Ocean City so I can see what you saw in the place. It has to be a slow process, and I can't do that here in Storybrooke. I have loved you for longer than you ever realized, and will continue to do so until my last breath. We will meet again one day, Emma Swan. But until then, I must raise our son and your other son to be the best men they can possibly be."

With that, he quickly wrote something on the final page of the notebook, set it on the ground and walked towards the bug. As the car roared to life and he drove away, the gust of wind blew the notebook open. Written on the final page were five words:

"7/18/17

Emma, we buried you today."


End file.
